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Twins-White Sox Preview

Apr 10, 2010 - 5:52 AM By ANDY LEFKOWITZ STATS Editor

Minnesota (3-1) at Chicago (1-2), 1:05 p.m. EDT

Following some opening-night jitters, the Minnesota Twins have yet to lose thanks to a pair of AL MVPs and a largely untested new closer.

Seeking their best start in eight years, the Twins on Saturday meet the Chicago White Sox, who may be anxious to snap a three-game losing streak that already seems to be testing manager Ozzie Guillen's patience.

The Twins took the opener 4-3 in 11 innings on Friday thanks to Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer. Morneau, the 2006 MVP, doubled home Denard Span in the seventh to make it 3-all. Mauer, who earned the honor last year, didn't start but walked to open the 11th and scored on J.J. Hardy's two-out single.

Jon Rauch - thrust into the closer's role after Joe Nathan was lost for the season - gave up two hits in the bottom of the inning and notched his third save. He had 26 in 44 career chances coming into 2010.

"I wish I could remember everything that happened in the game," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It was a grind 'em out, both sides threw about everything they had out there, benches, the whole package and missed opportunities."

Morneau is hitting .389 while Mauer is batting .333. Thanks in large part to them, Minnesota (4-1) is in position to open a season with five wins in six games for the first time since Gardenhire's managerial debut in 2002.

Alex Rios had two hits for Chicago (1-3), which is hitting only .185 through four games. The pitching staff, meanwhile, has posted a 2.93 ERA with 43 strikeouts.

"Our pitching staff's been great," Guillen said. "I think we've got to start swinging the bat better and make things happen. Our bats are very cold. ... It's hard to win games when I've got like four guys who can't even put up their average yet."

Looking to take advantage of that, Scott Baker (0-1, 7.71 ERA), the Twins' ace in 2009, will try to bounce back from a shaky 2010 debut that resulted in the club's only blemish.

The right-hander was roughed up for four runs in 4 2-3 innings of a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.

"I just didn't have much rhythm or much flow going on," said Baker, who led Minnesota with 15 wins last season. "I was a little jumpy, but I think I might have been a little jumpy regardless of whether it was opening day."

Baker was 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA in three starts versus the White Sox last season, with the loss coming at U.S. Cellular Field.

Though he's won only five games with three teams over the past three seasons and had a poor spring, Freddy Garcia will be on the mound for Chicago.

After winning 17 games with the White Sox in 2006, Garcia notched one with Philadelphia the following season and matched that with Detroit in 2008 before having shoulder surgery. He was released by the New York Mets last April before rejoining the team with which he won a World Series in 2005.

The right-hander was 3-4 with a 4.34 ERA in nine late-season starts, and indicated he was glad to be back.

"I feel good about my place here," Garcia said in March. "Time has passed and I'm 100 percent."

He didn't appear so during spring training, going 1-2 with a 10.38 ERA. Garcia is 4-1 with a 3.09 ERA in his last five starts versus the Twins, but hasn't faced them since September 2006.