Pregame: New PED scandal saddens Gardenhire

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- There are no Twins among the 20 players that Major League Baseball is reportedly ready to suspend as part of the Biogenesis scandal, but that doesn't alleviate the sadness that Ron Gardenhire feels about the affair.

"Relieved? I'm never relieved when I see anybody's name" involved in a performance-enhancing drug scandal, the Twins' manager said Wednesday, a day after ESPN's "Outside the Lines" reported that prominent players such as former MVPs Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Ryan Braun of the Brewers may be suspended as part of the investigation. "To me, that's sad stuff, to see guys' names out there, great players. I know they're good guys, really good guys, because I've had a chance to meet all those guys, at least the big guys you're talking about. They're good guys, so it's a tough time. I'm not relieved. I'm disappointed for them and baseball."

Gardenhire said it's unfortunate that another PED scandal threatens to overshadow the game on the field again. "It's disappointing. You always hope you're past all that stuff, and now this starts coming out again," he said. "Is seems like you have to deal with it over and over. It's sad for the game of baseball. ... But as [MLB] has said all along, we're going to clean this thing up and get it right. ... I guess that's what they feel they have to do right now."

On the field, the Twins will try to extend their recent hot streak, having won eight of 10 games to climb within 2 1/2 games of second-place Cleveland in the A.L. Central. They'll do so behind P.J. Walters, who is trying to become just the second Twins pitcher in the past five seasons -- Scott Diamond in 2012 was the other -- to earn a victory in his first three starts of the season. He's also trying to extend the Twins' streak of 20 consecutive scoreless innings pitched, their longest such streak since going 23 straight innings on July 30-Aug. 2.

It's overcast at Kauffman Stadium, where the Royals have lost a club-record 11 straight games, but the clouds are expected to clear around game time. Here are tonight's lineups, with the Twins changing their leadoff hitter but leaving the other eight spots intact from last night:

TWINS
Escobar 3B
Mauer C
Willingham LF
Morneau 1B
Doumit DH
Parmelee RF
Dozier 2B
Hicks CF
Florimon SS

Walters RHP