Twins might have played against Terry Francona for final time

CLEVELAND — Rocco Baldelli added one extra item to his pregame routine Wednesday.

"When I get done talking to you guys, I'm going to call [Terry Francona]", the Twins manager said. "He's kind of been the standard bearer in this league for as long as I can remember."

Not much longer, though. Francona, whose 11 seasons in Cleveland make him the major leagues' longest-tenured manager, has hinted over the past few weeks that he might retire after the season, and on Tuesday, he all but announced it.

"It's time," Francona, 64, told reporters. "My body is telling me that. My head is telling me that."

Francona has missed games on a few occasions over the past two years for various health reasons and has said he has more surgeries planned for this offseason. Francona is 131-113 vs. the Twins, including 104-90 with Cleveland.

He will depart as the winningest manager in Cleveland history, having won 912 games since 2013, and a two-time World Series champion with Boston.

Those aren't his only distinctions, either, Baldelli said before the Twins' 2-1 loss.

"He's one of the reasons I'm managing. I mean that," said the Twins manager, who played for Francona with the Red Sox in 2009. "He showed me that you're allowed to really enjoy coming to the field every day. There's a way to play hard and play tough and play competitively, and also have a good time. … Every single player that's ever played for him leaves wanting more time around him."

The Twins' starting lineup looked normal for the series finale Wednesday, but there was a subtle difference. Rather than Edouard Julien playing second base or serving as the designated hitter, the rookie made his first career start at first base.

It's an effort to add versatility to Julien's skill set, in case Byron Buxton returns from the injured list to reclaim the DH role, and perhaps a tacit admission that the Twins are increasingly reluctant to play slump-ridden Joey Gallo.

In addition, Baldelli said, "we kind of have to get Donovan [Solano] off his feet today for a few reasons," which he would not elaborate on.

Except for one inning in Milwaukee last month, Julien has not played the position since he was at Class A Cedar Rapids in 2021, "but he's been working over there," Baldelli said. "It's obviously going to be a work-in-progress, always. … We'll have [infield coach] Tony Diaz dialed in on him the entire game and we'll see how it goes. I think he'll be fine."

Julien was tested on the first play. Guardians leadoff hitter Steven Kwan hit a ground ball toward second base, and Jorge Polanco's throw was to the left of first base. But the rookie reached the ball and made a swipe tag to retire Kwan.

Alex Kirilloff played all nine innings in left field for the Saints on Tuesday in Louisville and collected three more hits, including a double, to raise his average to .455 (10-for-22) on his current rehab stint at Class AAA. He was 2-for-5 on Wednesday.

The Twins' plan is for Kirilloff, on the injured list since July 30 because of a strained shoulder, to play again Thursday with the Saints and potentially return to the major league team for the opener of their weekend series with the New York Mets at Target Field on Friday.

Trevor Larnach hit a ninth-inning grand slam to key a seven-run ninth inning rally Wednesday to beat the Louisville Bats 13-8 in Louisville. Larnach also hit a two-run homer as the Saints jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Jason Vosler hit a grand slam for the Bats as part of a six-run rally in the eighth, giving them an 8-6 lead.