Word travels fast, much to Gardy's chagrin

FORT MYERS, FLA. - When manager Ron Gardenhire announced Saturday that Nick Blackburn had made the rotation, it caused a mild stir in the Twins clubhouse.

"All you guys ... tweeted and blogged and all those things," Gardenhire told reporters Monday. "Before I could get back on the field, it was already back in here that we have a fourth starter. ... So [the other pitchers] went right to [pitching coach Rick Anderson]. It's under control, Andy's talked to them. We knew going in that they were fighting for a job."

Gardenhire seems less than thrilled with how fast news travels these days, but he's keeping his sense of humor.

When asked if Matt Tolbert, Trevor Plouffe and Luke Hughes were on equal footing in their battle for a utility spot, the manager said: "Yes, equal footing. You can tweet that. Just tweet it. You don't even have to write it. Just fire it through the Internet."

Injury updates Left fielder Delmon Young (turf toe) could be ready to play in Tuesday's B-game against Pittsburgh, Gardenhire said, adding that right fielder Michael Cuddyer, who had a wart removed from his left foot March 1, is nearly healed.

Joe Mauer (knee surgery) took part in some fielding drills at catcher. He has yet to catch in the bullpen, but Gardenhire said: "Right now, he's progressing nicely. That's what they tell me."

Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka each tweaked an ankle in Sunday's game, but both middle infielders went through a full practice Monday and aren't expected to miss much time.

Slama, 27, said he hoped the MRI results would show no structural damage, so he could pitching in a few days. He went 2-2 with a 2.20 ERA in 54 appearances for Class AAA Rochester last year, spanning 651/3 innings. He also posted a 7.71 ERA in five appearances for the Twins.

Etc. • Twins catcher Danny Lehmann left Monday's 10-4 loss to St. Louis after getting hit in the head with a bat while Yadier Molina was batting in the sixth inning. Lehmann was taken to local hospital, where a CT scan showed no broken bones.

• The Twins drew an announced 8,301 fans to Monday's game, setting a record at Hammond Stadium. They have sold out all five of their home spring training games this year.

On deck Carl Pavano opposes Brian Burres as the Twins play Pittsburgh on Tuesday at Hammond Stadium. The B-game starts at 9 a.m., on a back field at the Lee County Sports Complex, with Kevin Slowey, Kyle Gibson, Deolis Guerra and David Bromberg scheduled to pitch for the Twins.