As far as I'm concerned, the most important part of tonight's game is Denard Span's return to the lineup. Thank you, Bill Smith, for not trading Span for a reliever...I suspect we'll be happy we held on to a bona fide leadoff hitting center fielder who plays excellent defense.
Brian Duensing has been up and down all season, but his last outing in Texas was solid (6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 SO). Hopefully he can build on that start and put together a string of solid starts down the stretch for the Twins.
His win-loss record may not show it, but Ervin Santana has had quite a solid season. He's coming off a complete game shutout of the Cleveland Indians, but Joe Mauer (11 for 19, 1.566 OPS) will be licking his chops to get a shot at Santana tonight.