Twins lose spring training finale

Most regulars sit out for Minnesota

By David Dorsey
Fort Myers News Press

A mix of Minnesota Twins regulars, bench players and minor leaguers lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0 Saturday afternoon at the Lee County Sports Complex.

But for Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, only one part of this spring training finale, played in front of an announced crowd of 7,234 fans, mattered.

"Nobody got hurt," Gardenhire said.

The Twins finished their 15th Grapefruit League season in Fort Myers with a 15-14-2 record while setting a record for per-game average attendance at 7,446, topping last season's record of 7,355.

As for the game, catcher Joe Mauer went 1-for-2, first baseman Justin Morneau went 0-for-3 and second baseman Luis Rivas went 0-for-2. They were the only two projected regular-season starters in the lineup. That gave most of the regulars a chance to pack their bags, as they left for Seattle immediately after the game.

"I like our baseball team," Gardenhire said. "We didn't know how it was going to all shake out.

"We're going to go out there and laugh and have fun and win. And if we lose, we're going to give it everything we have."

Gardenhire received a potential glimpse of the future, with several players slated to start this season with the Class A Fort Myers Miracle getting a chance to play in a big-league spring game.

Outfielder Scott Whitrock started and went 0-for-3. Third baseman Omar Burgos came in for Nick Punto and went 0-for-1.

Pitcher Adam Harben struck out one and did not give up a hit during the eighth inning.

"Now, you can put a face with a name," Gardenhire said. "That's important. They're not just names."

The Miracle play their first home game of the season at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.

"The first inning, you get a little bit nervous," Whitrock said. "I just wanted to make sure my defense was there."

Said Gardenhire: "He's a good prospect."

Tommy Watkins, a Riverdale High School graduate, entered the game for Juan Castro as a defensive replacement and played well, Gardenhire said.

Watkins is slated to start the season in Double-A New Britain, where he played in 2004.

"Every time he comes over here, he makes a great play," Gardenhire said.

Said Watkins: "It's always fun playing with the big guys. It's a much faster game. You just have to learn to slow it down."

AT THE PLATE: Former Twins RF Matt Lawton went 0-for-2. Lawton played for the Miracle in 1994. Pirates CF Antonio Sucre went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

ON THE MOUND: Twins RHP Kyle Lohse started and struck out two, giving up four runs on five hits in five innings.

"Lohse got better and better as he went along," Gardenhire said. "That was good to see."