FORT MYERS, FLA. -- Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau each hit RBI singles, as the Twins defeated the Rays 7-3 at Hammond Stadium in their exhibition opener Saturday.
Here were the key developments:
* Jamey Carroll, in his first at-bat as a Twin, got hit in the batting helmet by a David Price fastball. It was a scary moment, but Carroll stayed in the game. He said he turned his head just enough, allowing the ball to glance off his left ear flap.
* Denard Span also had a scary moment when he fell awkwardly making a catch near the center field wall. He said he was fine. The ball was really carrying in the wind, and the sun was bright. Span went 2-for-3 at the plate.
* Mauer caught four innings and went 1-for-2 at the plate. After taking a called third strike against Price in his first at-bat, he blistered an RBI single up the middle in the third inning.
* Morneau played five innings and talked his way into getting a third at-bat after starting 0-for-2. The third at-bat was a long battle, and the Rays were playing a shift, but Morneau found a hole through the left side of the infield for a game-tying RBI single.
* Tsuyoshi Nishioka replaced Carroll at shortstop and went 2-for-3 with a triple to deep center field.
* Carl Pavano allowed two runs on three hits in two innings. He allowed a two-run homer to Matt Joyce in the first.
