Light rain fell for a half-hour this morning, but the skies have brightened, and there shouldn't be any problems getting today's early game in. The Twins are taking batting practice now, and they'll face Team Puerto Rico at noon ET (11 a.m. CT).
Puerto Rico's World Baseball Classic team lost 4-3 to the Red Sox last night; after today's game, they'll board a flight to San Juan, where they open pool play Friday against Spain.
For the Twins, today is largely a day off for the regulars; the lineup doesn't include Josh Willingham, Jamey Carroll, Ryan Doumit, and they're not listed as available reserves, either. Twins prospects Jose Berrios and Eddie Rosario aren't in the Puerto Rico lineup, but Rosario is likely to play in the later innings.
The Twins don't expect much of a crowd for the game, perhaps a couple of thousand fans.
Today's lineups:
Twins -- Hicks CF, Escobar 2B, Sobolewski 3B, Clement 1B, Ramirez LF, Boggs DH, Pinto C, Thomas RF, Santana SS. Worley P, followed by some combination of Burton, Burnett, Fien, Perdomo, Thielbar and Slama.
Puerto Rico -- Angel Pagan (Giants) CF, Irving Falu (Royals) 2B, Alex Rios (White Sox) LF, Carlos Beltran (Cardinals) RF, Yadier Molina (Cardinals) C, Mike Aviles (Indians) SS, Pedro Valdes DH, Carlos Rivera 1B, Andy Gonzalez (White Sox AA) 3B. Giancarlo Alvarado P.
