Josh Willingham is not in the lineup, as manager Ron Gardenhire gives him another chance to rest his sore left knee. Willingham received a cortisone shot in the knee during the previous homestand, which has helped some.
``He's available," Gardy said. ``He can DH. I don't think left field would be a good thing for him right now I think another day we should get there."
Willingham is a .364 career hitter against Royals righthander Ervin Santana.
That gives Oswaldo Arcia another start in left and opens up right field for Chris Parmelee. Chances for both young men to impress.
Ryan Doumit is back as the designated hitter, but his sore right ankle is still giving him some problems.
``I still won't try him in right field," Gardy said. ``Running is the hardest thing for him. Stopping. But i want to get his bat in there."
Eduardo Escobar is getting a start today. ``He works his tail off every day and needs to be out there," Gardy said.
Santana is 2-0 with a MLB-low 1.56 ERA this month. He's 5-3, 3.95 in 11 starts against the Twins. He has had some strong outings against the Twins, especially when they've had trouble picking up his slider.
