Pregame: Guerra hospitalized with blood clot in shoulder

BRADENTON, FLA. -- It's a day game after a night game, and this one included a 120-mile bus ride. So Ron Gardenhire decided not to drag a tired bunch of veterans -- well, except for Jamey Carroll -- to McKechnie Field today.

The Twins' lineup is a little unusual because of it, with the most notable aspect being the return of Darin Mastroianni. He's missed a week with a strained left hamstring, and it was a notable week for his competition in center field -- you may have heard about Aaron Hicks' five home runs. So he's got some ground to make up, though he'll do it in right field, because Joe Benson bats third and plays center.

The biggest news here is Deolis Guerra's condition. The Venezuelan righthander, sent home from the World Baseball Classic with what his team's doctors believed to be a torn pectoral muscle, was discovered to have a blood clot in his right shoulder. He was immediately hospitalized in Fort Myers so the clot could be dissipated, and will be released in a day or two. But he will require a rib resection -- basically, the removal of his first rib in order to give his artery more room -- to keep the problem from recurring.

General manager Terry Ryan said the surgery will take place later this month, and he expects Guerra to be out of action for three months or so, basically half the season. Tough break for a kid who was so excited last week about pitching in the WBC, and who had an outside chance of making the big-league team.

The Twins made no cuts this morning, but they didn't figure to, not with the manager on a bus to Bradenton. But there may be some changes to the roster tomorrow.

Here are today's lineups:

-- Twins: Darin Mastroianni RF, Jamey Carroll 2B, Joe Benson CF, Wilkin Ramirez LF, Brandon Boggs DH, Brian Dinkelman 1B, Josmil Pinto C, Eduardo Escobar SS, Ray Olmedo 3B. Cole De Vries P, followed by a combination of Casey Fien, Alex Meyer, Anthony Slama, Mike O'Connor and Virgil Vasquez.