Twins right fielder Revere showing athleticism

Twins fans have caught numerous glimpses of Ben Revere's speed in recent years, but this weekend, they've seen how high he can jump, too.

In the fifth inning Friday, Revere chased a foul ball from Oakland's Brandon Hicks into right-field foul territory and leaped onto the wall, pulling himself up and reaching, only to have the ball glance off his glove.

Matt Hoy, the Twins senior vice president of operations, said the ledge Revere reached over is about 9 or 10 feet tall.

"My foot started slipping a little bit, so I tried to lift myself back up, and it hit the palm of my hand and bounced out," Revere said. "If I had my footing, I could have had it."

The catch would have rivaled the over-the-shoulder, leaping grab Revere made last season to rob Baltimore's Vladimir Guerrero of an extra-base hit on Aug. 22. MLB Network recognized that one as the 2011 "Play of the Year."

The 24-year-old Revere, who is listed at 5-9, used to flash his leaping ability at Lexington (Ky.) Catholic High School.

"If I could get a good palm with a basketball, I could dunk it [in high school]," Revere said.

"A few of those you're going to have to back off and play off the wall," manager Ron Gardenhire said.

"He's trying to make a play, but he's aggressive. You hate to take that away from the kid."

Duensing's ankle ready Brian Duensing said he made a mechanical adjustment before his last start against the Tigers on July 4, which helped him pitch better than he did in his first two starts after moving from the bullpen.

But Duensing's start in Detroit was cut short in the fifth inning when he took a line drive from Alex Avila off his left ankle. Duensing was in severe pain before limping off the field, but he was able to throw a bullpen session on July 7, and had two more this week that has him confident heading into Sunday's start against Oakland.

"I think we kind of dodged a bullet," Duensing said. "If it would have been an inch up the ankle, it would have been bad. I think the shoe saved me a little bit."

"Everybody talks about his curveball," Oliva said. His curveball was the best in baseball; I've never seen a curveball like that. But his fastball was good too. In his day, he was in the top five pitchers in the American League.

"Put it this way: When he pitched, a lot of players got sick the night before."

Etc. • Matt Capps made his first appearance since returning from the disabled list, and as expected, it came in a low-stress situation. Capps tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning with the Twins trailing 8-2, though none of his pitches topped 91 miles per hour.