Twins at Orioles News and Notes

The Twins head out on the road for the first time in 2013, with a three-game series in Baltimore.

By Jon Marthaler Apr 5, 2013, 10:00am EDT

Guess which team is first in the AL Central today. (Well, there's a three-way tie with Chicago, Cleveland, and Minnesota. But still.)

Baltimore scored 20 runs in its season-opening series against Tampa Bay. First baseman Chris Davis drove in 11 of them. He hit three home runs and got seven hits and in general destroyed everything he faced, and if he doesn't leave the yard at some point in this series, I will be surprised.
Speaking of which: I looked it up, and only ten of Nick Markakis's 117 career home runs came against the Twins. I would have bet on at least 75.
Second baseman Brian Roberts injured himself sliding into a base on Thursday, and could miss an extended period with a hamstring injury.
Saturday starter Chris Tillman missed much of the spring with abdominal soreness, but appears to be ready to go for Saturday. Also his manager says he looks like Norman Bates.
The Orioles will be also be missing DH Wilson Betemit, who tore his PCL on March 25.

Cole De Vries may start on Sunday, or he may not; he's still dealing with "tightness" in the forearm of his pitching hand. If the Twins' awful injury luck holds out from the last two years, it'll turn out that De Vries needs to have his arm amputated, so stay tuned. The team hasn't figured out who'll take his place if he can't go, but it may not matter anyway, as Scott Diamond is getting closer and closer to coming back.
Pedro Florimon kicked another grounder on Thursday. For all of his supposed ability to "pick it," Florimon sure bears a strong defensive resemblance to the failed shortstops that line up on either side of him in the Twins defense every day.
The Twins drew fewer than 86,000 fans for their series against the Tigers, the new "lowest series attendance at Target Field" record until the next series at Target Field.

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