So who'll be around come Wednesday?
All the talk today is likely to be about the ALDS roster. It doesn't have to be decided until Wednesday before the game, but it looks like we'll know most of it today.
Postseason roster notes - twinsbaseball.com
Here's what we know: The Twins will carry only two catchers, so Jose Morales is out. Jon Rauch will throw in the bullpen today, and the Twins will make a decision on him following that. And Sunday's batting order is likely to be the order for the ALDS.
Slowey appears to get bullpen nod - StarTribune.com
La Velle says that Scott Baker's still having elbow soreness, and since Slowey pitched a decent inning on Saturday, he'll probably be in the bullpen come playoff time. Neal also says that Glen Perkins is likely to be the guy who gets the call if Rauch can't go.
Probable Roster
Batting Order: Denard Span, Orlando Hudson, Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Jim Thome, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Danny Valencia, J.J. Hardy
Bench: Drew Butera, Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert, Jason Repko
Starters: Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn
Bullpen: Matt Capps, Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Jose Mijares, Brian Fuentes, Kevin Slowey, Jon Rauch OR Glen Perkins
The obvious weakness is the Twins' bench, which has zero decent hitters. The team isn't expecting to do a lot of pinch-hitting, but should the situation arise - say, if Minnesota runs for Thome late in the game, and his spot in the order comes up again - then Casilla might be their only legitimate option. Should the Twins advance to the ALCS, they will be crossing their fingers that Justin Morneau again becomes an option. (Update: forget that.)