Twins notes: Perkins one of many injured

On a night when Twins fans received Glen Perkins bobbleheads, the real thing was experiencing pain when he made the same motion.

The All-Star closer reported "tingling" in his neck and left shoulder after surrendering the go-ahead run Thursday night, and the sensation made it difficult to pitch, assistant GM Ron Antony said. "When he went out the other night, he said, 'I didn't have anything.' Sitting in a chair, there was a tingling," Antony said. "He said he couldn't finish off his pitches."

Perkins underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam Saturday, but it showed no structural damage or pinched nerves. Still, manager Ron Gardenhire said, "We're not even going to mess with him for a few days here."

Perkins wasn't the only injured Twins player this weekend. Danny Santana, batting .320 as a rookie, strained his lower back Saturday making a throw home from center field in the second inning. He seemed to grimace after the throw, and was removed from the game at the end of the inning.

"He said he was fine to go back out. I said, 'Well, let's go in the cage and throw some,' " Gardenhire said. "He still felt it some. I think it's very mild, [so] he's day to day."

Outfielder Jordan Schafer, who injured his ribs while jumping into the wall to make a leaping catch Friday, "came in today and said he felt great until he swung a bat," Gardenhire said. "That was to be expected."

And righthander Casey Fien was struck on his pitching forearm during Friday's game but said the soreness had disappeared overnight. He pitched Saturday, giving up two runs that enabled the Angels to tie the score in the eighth inning.

The new pads, which were installed during the Twins' last road trip, are twice as thick and are made of trocellan foam, which includes a membrane "that diffuses the energy as you hit it. It takes the force and spreads it around, so it's safer," said Matt Hoy, Twins senior vice president for operations. "Even though it's a little safer, it's firmer."

The outfielders have discovered that already. "The ball really jumps off the wall now," Hicks said. "You could tell the difference right away."

Hicks was reminded of it Saturday night: Howie Kendrick hit an eighth-inning triple off the center-field wall that caromed past Hicks.

Outfield coach Scott Ullger said bounces have been true, but it's an adjustment for players used to less-forceful ricochets.

Installing the new product by CoverMaster was the idea of head groundskeeper Larry DiVito. He demonstrated the padding for Hoy, Twins President Dave St. Peter and owner Jim Pohlad, and got the OK to install it, at a cost "of six figures," Hoy said. "The safety of our players was what it's about, and there was no hesitation."