Twins switch to ambush lineup as they prepare to face Cleveland

Scott Baker, tonight's starter, looked at the lineup sheet, raised an eyebrow and put his finger on the No.3 hitter.

Denard Span is batting third, with rookie Ben Revere and Alexi Casilla battling second.

``I kind of like it." he said with a grin.

It puts the Twins' three hottest hitters at the top of the order. Their heat on the basepaths, potentially, could cause problems for the Indians.

``You have a lot of speed (then) the guys who are supposed to drive them in," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ``So we'll see what happens."

Danny Valencia is not in the lineup tonight after struggling during the Kansas City series. He played in 57 of 58 games coming into tonight. Luke Hughes is starting at third.

``He's been playing every game and has not been swinging worth a flip," Gardenhire said of Valencia. ``In Kansas City he was pulling off the ball. Just sit him out, give him a break and let him sit back and watch a ballgame.

The Twins will make a roster move after the game to make room for lefthander Francisco Liriano, who has recovered from a slightly sore shoulder and will start on Tuesday.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka is scheduled to play nine innings and Joe Mauer is scheduled to catch seven innings for Class A Fort Myers tonight. Might be time to get the pool going to predict the date in which the Twins lineup is fully healthy.

.Justin Morneau, back in the lineup after missing two games to rest a nagging shoulder, is back and will play in his 1000th game tonight.

Twins (21-37)

1. Ben Revere, RF
2. Alexi Casilla, SS
3. Denard Span, CF
4. Michael Cuddyer, 1B
5. Justin Morneau, DH
6. Delmon Young, LF
7. Luke Hughes, 3B
8. Matt Tolbert, 2B
9. Drew Butera, C

Cleveland (33-24)

1. Michael Brantley, LF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
3. Grady Sizemore, CF
4, Carlos Santana, C
5. Shinn-Soo Choo, RF
6. Matt LaPorta, 1B
7. Travis Buck, DH
8. Orlando Cabrera, 2B
9. Jack Hannahan, 3B