Twins’ outfielder Trevor Plouffe fails to catch this deep ball to right field in the fifth inning, which Dustin Pedroia turned into a triple, as Minnesota lost 7-6 to Boston at Target Field in Minneapolis on April 25, 2012. (Pioneer Press: Scott Takushi)

It’s been a battle for Trevor Plouffe this season, but the Twins seem committed to determining once and for all whether the 2004 first-round pick can be a productive major leaguer.

Plouffe, 25, entered the finale of a four-game series against the Blue Jays at Target Field on Sunday, May 13, batting .130 with one homer and three RBIs. In his past two games, he had stranded 11 runners on base, and he started his day by making an error at third base and grounding into a double play.

“I’d like to think we’re going to give Plouffe an opportunity here to step up and see what we’ve got,” general manager Terry Ryan said. “Eventually, we’re going to have to find out.”

In parts of two seasons at Rochester in 2010-11, Plouffe hit 30 homers and drove in 82 runs. The Twins like his power potential — he hit eight homers in 81 games with the Twins in 2011 — but he has struggled to hit for average and field his position, no matter where he plays. He has some versatility, playing third, short, second and the outfield, but hasn’t been particularly good anywhere.

“He’s got some issues; he’s also got some talent,” Ryan said. “We’ll only find out by putting him out there.”

Plouffe isn’t the only player struggling, of course. The Twins entered play Sunday with a 9-24 record, worst in the major leagues, and a .236 team batting average. Rookie Chris Parmelee is hitting .188 with no homers and three RBIs.

On Wednesday, the Twins sent struggling third baseman Danny Valencia,

batting .190, to Class AAA Rochester to find his swing. Asked if Plouffe and Parmelee are in danger of the same, manager Ron Gardenhire indicated there was still time before adding, “We need production.”

Because Plouffe is out of minor league options, he would have to pass through waivers if the Twins designated him for assignment.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — The struggling Minnesota Twins are shaking things up, moving Francisco Liriano to the bullpen, optioning third baseman Danny Valencia to Triple-A Rochester and recalling former South Alabama and Faith Academy standout P.J. Walters from the minor leagues.

The Twins announced the moves on Wednesday night after a 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels that dropped them to an MLB-worst 8-22.

Liriano is 0-5 with a 9.45 ERA in six starts this season. Manager Ron Gardenhire said the Twins are hoping he regains some confidence in the bullpen and they still view him as a starter for the long term.

The Twins selected the contract of right-hander P.J. Walters from Rochester. He will start on Saturday against Toronto.

Walters, who has pitched in 20 big-league games with the Cardinals and Blue Jays, had a 3-1 record with a 2.70 ERA at Rochester. He had struck out 25 and walked six in 33.1 innings.

Valencia is hitting .190 with one homer and 11 RBIs.

The Twins also recalled outfielder Darin Mastroianni and designated left-hander Matt Maloney for assignment.

Daniel Bard went back to the bullpen to help out, and Cody Ross made him a winner.

For at least one night, all was right with the reeling Red Sox.

Ross homered twice, tying the game with a two-run shot in the seventh inning and giving Boston the lead with two outs in the ninth to snap a five-game losing streak for the Red Sox and beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-5, on Monday.

“It’s been a tough go,” Ross said. “Everybody knows how tough it’s been on us, but nobody feels sorry for us. We’re going to keep having to go out there and grind it out.”

Starter-turned-temporary-reliever Bard (1-2) recorded two critical outs in the eighth after the Twins put the leadoff runner on third. Alfredo Aceves picked up the save, his third in five tries.

Aceves gave up a one-out single and a high drive to the warning track in left-center to Trevor Plouffe, but Denard Span bounced back to the mound to end it.

“It gives them some confidence,” Ross said. “We have some guys that are really good out there, and we believe in them as a team.”

Ryan Sweeney misplayed Jamey Carroll’s single into a two-base error that put him at third with none out in that pivotal eighth, after the ball bounded down the right-field line, ricocheted off the padded facade of the seats in foul territory and skidded away.

But Franklin Morales got Joe Mauer to ground out weakly to first base, and Bard retired two of the three batters he faced sandwiched around an intentional walk to Justin Morneau. Josh Willingham greeted Bard with a sharp line drive, but it zipped straight at third baseman Kevin Youkilis for the second out.

“He allowed everybody to be happy campers,” manager Bobby Valentine said.

Bard shrugged off his bullpen appearance.

“Same deal. You’re just trying to get out. You just have a little less time to warm up. That’s it,” he said.

Then Ross put the Red Sox in front with his drive off Matt Capps (0-1), who threw a 92-mph, 0-1 fastball at the kneecaps, a tough one for anyone to hit, let alone far enough to reach seats to the opposite field.

“That’s tough to do. He did it. He hit it,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Said Capps: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cody Ross hit a ball that way. He put it a good swing on it and obviously squared it up well.”

After a rainout on Sunday gave the rotation an extra day of rest, Valentine put Bard in his struggling bullpen for a few days amid calls for the young right-hander to take over for Aceves as the closer. But Bard and Valentine insisted the move was merely temporary, and Bard is still on track to make his next start on Friday.

“I still view myself as a starter, and they said they do, too,” Bard said before the game.

Jon Lester allowed six hits, five runs and four walks over seven innings. He struck out four but wasted a 3-0 lead, after Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s two-run homer in the second.

Danny Valencia’s two-run homer, his first of the season, followed Ryan Doumit’s two-run double in a four-run fourth for the Twins. Then Plouffe drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, Span singled and a run scored when Carroll grounded into a double play.

Still, Valentine fervently praised the way Lester bounced back with strong a sixth and seventh.

“Nothing changed physically or mentally, but something got me locked in,” Lester said.

Around the bases

Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka’s rehab start for Class A Salem (Va.), his first real game since undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery last June, was rough. He gave up six hits, three runs and two homers in four innings. … CF Marlon Byrd, 3 for 43 with the Cubs before being traded Saturday, had a single in his Red Sox debut. … Twins starters are 2-9 with a 6.46 ERA, last in the majors.

The Minnesota Twins couldn’t hold a late lead. Both starter Jason Marquis and reliever Matt Capps were culpable in coughing that up.

But yet again they left runners stranded on base at the most important times.

Cody Ross homered twice, tying the game with a two-run shot in the seventh inning and giving Boston the lead with two outs in the ninth to snap a five-game losing streak for the Red Sox in their 6-5 victory over Minnesota on Monday night.

Starter-turned-temporary-reliever Daniel Bard (1-2) recorded two critical outs in the eighth after the Twins put the leadoff batter on third. Alfredo Aceves picked up the save, his third in five tries, and all was right with the reeling Red Sox for at least one night.

Aceves gave up a one-out single and a high drive to the warning track in left-center to Trevor Plouffe, but Denard Span bounced back to the mound to end it.

“I knew I got it up in the air, and I was wishing it over the fence. But definitely didn’t think I absolutely got it,” Plouffe said. “It was one of those ones where it was going to be just barely over the fence, or he was going to catch it.”

The Twins are 8 for 47 with runners in scoring position over their last five games, an average of .170.

“We put ourselves in good situations and have opportunities, but lately we haven’t really been coming through. Teams that win games, they hit in those situations,” Plouffe said.

Ryan Sweeney misplayed Jamey Carroll’s single into a two-base error that put him at third with none out in that pivotal eighth, after the ball bounded down the right-field line, ricocheted off the padded facade of the seats in foul territory and skidded away.

But Franklin Morales got Joe Mauer to ground out weakly to first base, and Bard retired two of the three batters he faced sandwiched around an intentional walk to Justin Morneau. Josh Willingham greeted Bard with a sharp line drive, but it zipped straight at third baseman Kevin Youkilis for the second out.

Then Ross put the Red Sox in front with his drive off Capps (0-1), who threw a 92 mph, 0-1 fastball at the kneecaps, a tough one for anyone to hit, let alone far enough to reach seats to the opposite field.

“That’s where I wanted the pitch to go,” Capps said.

Jon Lester lasted seven innings for the Red Sox. Danny Valencia’s two-run homer, his first of the season, followed Ryan Doumit’s two-run double in a four-run fourth for the Twins. Then Plouffe drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, Span singled and a run scored when Carroll grounded into a double play.

Carroll got the Red Sox back for that in the sixth. With one out and runners at the corners, he dived to stop a grounder by David Ortiz up the middle and flipped to second baseman Plouffe from his stomach with one hand. Then Plouffe whirled around for a perfect relay throw to finish the double play.

“It seems like we’re always one big hit away. I know that I had an opportunity today with Carroll on third there in the eighth,” Doumit said: “We’re going through a pretty tough patch right now. But I think our offense is good enough that we’ll be able to turn this around.”

The Twins have more modest expectations than do the Red Sox for this season after last year’s 63-99 mess. Their starting pitching has emerged as a significant concern, if it wasn’t already this spring.

The rotation has a collective 2-9 record with a 6.46 ERA, last in the major leagues, with 114 hits allowed in 92 innings and only 53 strikeouts. Marquis settled in after a shaky start but gave away the 5-3 lead he had in the seventh.

“That’s what we want, seven innings out of these guys,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “This guy’s a veteran, a 200-inning guy. He wants the ball. He felt fine. He felt great. He made a terrible pitch to Cody. He had such a great sinker all night long. We trusted him.”

NOTES: Morneau played 1B for just the second game this year. He’s been the DH 14 times. … With sputtering LHP Francisco Liriano taken out of the rotation for his next turn, the Twins want him to relax. “Let him take a step back,” Gardenhire said. Liriano will start again May 1 after a couple of bullpen sessions and talks with pitching coach Rick Anderson. … Willingham will miss Wednesday’s game to be with his wife, who is about to have a baby. He could be gone through Friday, but the Twins will put him on paternity leave and be able to call up a minor league replacement while he’s away.

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Twins couldn’t hold a late lead. Both starter Jason Marquis and reliever Matt Capps were culpable in coughing that up.

But yet again they left runners stranded on base at the most important times.

Cody Ross homered twice, tying the game with a two-run shot in the seventh inning and giving Boston the lead with two outs in the ninth to snap a five-game losing streak for the Red Sox in their 6-5 victory over Minnesota on Monday night.

Starter-turned-temporary-reliever Daniel Bard (1-2) recorded two critical outs in the eighth after the Twins put the leadoff batter on third. Alfredo Aceves picked up the save, his third in five tries, and all was right with the reeling Red Sox for at least one night.

Aceves gave up a one-out single and a high drive to the warning track in left-center to Trevor Plouffe, but Denard Span bounced back to the mound to end it.

“I knew I got it up in the air, and I was wishing it over the fence. But definitely didn’t think I absolutely got it,” Plouffe said. “It was one of those ones where it was going to be just barely over the fence, or he was going to catch it.”

The Twins are 8-for-47 with runners in scoring position over their last five games, an average of .170.

“We put ourselves in good situations and have opportunities, but lately we haven’t really been coming through. Teams that win games, they hit in those situations,” Plouffe said.

Ryan Sweeney misplayed Jamey Carroll’s single into a two-base error that put him at third with none out in that pivotal eighth, after the ball bounded down the right-field line, ricocheted off the padded facade of the seats in foul territory and skidded away.

But Franklin Morales got Joe Mauer to ground out weakly to first base, and Bard retired two of the three batters he faced sandwiched around an intentional walk to Justin Morneau. Josh Willingham greeted Bard with a sharp line drive, but it zipped straight at third baseman Kevin Youkilis for the second out.

Then Ross put the Red Sox in front with his drive off Capps (0-1), who threw a 92 mph, 0-1 fastball at the kneecaps.

“That’s where I wanted the pitch to go,” Capps said.

Jon Lester lasted seven innings for the Red Sox. Danny Valencia’s two-run homer, his first of the season, followed Ryan Doumit’s two-run double in a four-run fourth for the Twins. Then Plouffe drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, Span singled and a run scored when Carroll grounded into a double play.

Boston Minnesota

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Aviles ss 4 1 1 0 Span cf 4 0 1 0

Sweeny rf 4 0 2 0 JCarrll ss 4 0 1 0

Pedroia 2b 4 0 2 0 Mauer c 3 1 2 0

AdGnzl 1b 3 0 0 1 Wlngh dh 3 1 0 0

Ortiz dh 4 0 2 0 Mornea 1b 3 0 0 0

Youkils 3b 4 1 0 0 Doumit rf 4 1 2 2

Sltlmch c 4 2 2 2 Valenci 3b 4 1 1 2

C.Ross lf 4 2 2 3 Parmel lf 4 0 1 0

Byrd cf 4 0 1 0 CThms pr 0 0 0 0

Plouffe 2b 3 1 0 0

Totals 35 6 12 6 Totals 32 5 8 4

Boston 120 000 201— 6

Minnesota 000 410 000— 5

E—Aviles (3), Sweeney (1). DP—Boston 3, Minnesota 2. LOB—Boston 3, Minnesota 5. 2B—Sweeney (8), Doumit (1). HR—Saltalamacchia (2), C.Ross 2 (5), Valencia (1). CS—Pedroia (1). SF—Ad.Gonzalez.

IP H R ER BB SO

Boston

Lester 7 6 5 5 4 4

F.Morales Zc 1 0 0 0 0

Bard W,1-2 Xc 0 0 0 1 0

Aceves S,3-5 1 1 0 0 0 0

Minnesota

Marquis 6Zc 11 5 5 0 3

Burton 1 0 0 0 0 1

Duensing Xc 0 0 0 0 1

Capps L,0-1 1 1 1 1 0 0

T—3:12. A—32,351 (39,500).

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Ross, who signed with Boston as a free agent in the offseason, cranked a two-run homer to tie the game 5-5 in the seventh, then added a solo shot in the ninth off Matt Capps (0-1). It was the eighth career multi-homer game for Ross.

Daniel Bard (1-2) got the win for Boston, pitching out of a jam in the eighth. Alfredo Aceves pitched the ninth inning for his third save of the year, surrendering only a one-out single to Chris Parmelee.

The Twins have lost three in a row.

Trailing by two in the seventh, the Red Sox pulled even when Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled, then Ross lifted a long home run into the second deck in left field.

Jon Lester started and went seven innings for Boston, but he is still looking for his first win of the season. He gave up five runs on six hits and four walks, striking out four.

The Twins looked to be on the brink of taking the lead in the eighth when Jamey Carroll led off with a single into the right field corner. Ryan Sweeney misplayed the ball for a two-base error, and Carroll ended up on third with no outs. But Franklin Morales got Joe Mauer to bounce out, then gave way to Bard. Josh Willingham lined out, and Bard intentionally walked Justin Morneau before getting Ryan Doumit to pop out to shortstop, ending the threat.

Jason Marquis started for Minnesota and gave up five runs in 6 1/3 innings.

The Red Sox got on the board early, as leadoff hitter Mike Aviles singled, advanced to third on a single by Dustin Pedroia and scored on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Gonzalez. After David Ortiz singled and Kevin Youkilis reached on a fielder’s choice in the second, Jarrod Saltalamacchia plopped his second homer of the season into the front row of the right field seats, giving Boston a 3-0 lead.

Lester cruised through the first three innings, but he hit a snag with one out in the fourth. Mauer’s single was followed by a Willingham walk. After Lester struck out Morneau, Doumit doubled to score Mauer and Willingham. Three pitches later, Danny Valencia blasted his first homer of the season into the Red Sox bullpen in deep left-center field, giving Minnesota a 4-3 lead.

An inning later, Carroll bounced into the Twins’ big-league-leading 19th double play of the season, but it brought in a run. Trevor Plouffe scored from third base, putting the Twins up 5-3.

NOTES: Center fielder Marlon Byrd made his Red Sox debut after coming to Boston in a trade with the Cubs on Saturday night. … Twins catcher Mauer threw out Pedroia on an attempted steal of second base in the first inning. Previously, runners had been 10-for-10 when attempting to run on Mauer this season. … Red Sox utility infielder Nick Punto made his return to Target Field but did not play. Punto spent seven seasons with the Twins.

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Scott Baker threw 37 pitches in a bullpen session at Hammond Stadium on Saturday morning, March 17, flashing two thumbs up to the writers on hand after he threw his final pitches. But the bigger test for the Twins right-hander will come on Monday, when he throws his next bullpen session at maximum effort and puts the tendinitis in his right elbow under greater stress.

Baker, who was scratched from his start Thursday after having elbow trouble in a B game on March 10, estimated he threw at between 70 and 80 percent of his normal effort Saturday morning. The goal was to see how his elbow felt on a mound after a long-toss session Friday. If Baker is still feeling good Monday, the Twins will take the next step

toward getting him back in the rotation.

“I think, really, today was more of just getting the feel of the (mound),” Baker said. “It’s just the next progression, in my opinion, just because the slope just adds another element that is a little tougher on the elbow.”

Twenty-seven of Baker’s 37 pitches came from the stretch, and he threw harder on his last three pitches than he did during the rest of his bullpen session. He said no single pitch caused more pain than any other but didn’t think the inflammation in his elbow – which has become a rite of spring for Baker – was gone.

“It’s a process,” he said. “I wish there was a magic potion that would make it just completely go away. That’s not how it works. It’s a gradual process. As long

as you’re able to complete the next step without it getting worse, that’s what you do.”

The Twins have said they’re not concerned that Baker’s tendinitis is a sign of major elbow problems, even though the pitcher has missed time late in each of the past two seasons because of elbow injuries. But whether he’s just dealing with early-spring issues or something more serious, Baker would need to get back on the mound soon to be ready for the regular season.

If all goes well in his bullpen session

Monday, he likely would start for the Twins on Thursday. He anticipated he would throw around 40 pitches in that start, picking up where he left off in his last outing and would have two more starts after that to get ready for the start of the season.

The Twins had planned for Baker to start the home opener on April 9 but wouldn’t need a fifth starter until April 14, which might allow them to put Baker at the back of their rotation and give him more time to build arm strength.

Valencia homers again

Third baseman Danny Valencia hit his third homer of the spring on Saturday, helping the Twins to a 5-2 win over the Miami Marlins in Jupiter, Fla. Valencia went 2 for 3, hitting his solo shot off Ricky Nolasco in the first inning. He is

batting .310 this spring, and all three of his homers have come in the past six games.

Follow Ben Goessling at twitter.com/BenGoesslingPP.

BRADENTON, Fla. – Two newcomers with a chance to crack the Twins’ pitching staff were on display at McKechnie Field on Saturday. The results were mixed but by no means final.

Terry Doyle, a Rule 5 draftee, started and was touched for seven hits and two runs in 2-2/3 innings. His teammates minimized the damage by making several good plays behind him.

Reliever Jared Burton again was impressive. He walked one and struck out one in one inning. Both have a good chance to make the team, but their spring training performances will go a long way toward determining their fate.

The Twins defeated the Pirates 4-2.

“I couldn’t get ahead of anybody,” Doyle said. “I was up in the zone, which is generally a recipe for bad things.”

Doyle

is a Rhode Island native and as such has a rather unusual vocabulary. The state’s official adjective is “wicked” and is used in front of most any noun to denote a level of extreme. In other words, Doyle could have pitched good, wicked good, bad or wicked bad on Saturday.

“I’m going to go with between bad and wicked bad,” he said.

His first start earlier in the week had been good, however. So no one appeared too concerned about Saturday’s effort.

“It looked like he got tired,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “The ball started ballooning up there a little bit. He said he felt fine, but the ball quit diving. It definitely started floating up there. But it’s early for him, too.”

“The problem today was that I felt too good,” Doyle said.

“I felt so good I was overthrowing a little bit, didn’t get the ball down in the zone and couldn’t get any sink on my fastball.”

Burton has looked good from the start of camp. A veteran of 164 relief appearance with the Cincinnati Reds, he has been bothered by injuries the past two years. Even before Joel Zumaya got hurt, Burton stood a good chance of making the club if he could stay healthy. Now his chances of sticking appear even greater.

“We’re just looking at different guys,” Gardenhire

said, refusing to commit to any one pitcher. “They’ve only been out once or twice. Let’s give them a couple more times out and see where they’re at. We’re starting to get a better feel for some of the arms. We like a couple of guys.”

Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer to lead Minnesota. Burton was the winning pitcher. Joe Benson continues to star in the field as he made an extraordinary running catch in center.

Baker tagged

The Twins played a “B” game against the Pirates earlier in the day and, as usual, it was very informal with innings being cut short to protect the hurlers from high pitch counts.

For what it’s worth, the score was 8-2 Pirates. But the score is indicative of little. The only real news was the rough outing for

Scott Baker, who threw 44 pitches while recording just four outs. He gave up six runs, five earned, six hits and a homer. With the team bus arriving a bit late, Baker was held out until the third inning to give him time to warm up properly. It didn’t help much. Afterward, however, Baker noted that he was merely lousy and not hurting.

“Baker was not very good at all,” Gardenhire said. “He got beat around pretty good. We’ll see how he does – we’ll see from here. Maybe that B-game format was for not for him. He might need a little more preparation than riding a bus and getting out and trying to pitch because he didn’t react very well to that.”

Highlights of the game included two doubles by Chris Parmelee, a long home run by Oswaldo Arcia

and a couple of nice plays at third by Sean Burroughs.

BRIEFLY

The Twins face the Yankees at noon CDT today at Hammond Stadium. Nick Blackburn is scheduled to start against Phil Hughes. The game will be televised on FSN.

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP)—Erik Bedard’s attitude was the same even though his
line was much better.

Bedard pitched three scoreless inning six days after allowing two runs in
two innings, bu the Pittsburgh Pirates lost 4-2 to the Minnesota Twins on
Saturday.

“I didn’t work on anything specific,” Bedard said after allowing one hit.
“Just trying to get all my pitches in the strike zone and get my arm
strength.”

The Twins finally broke out of a prolonged slump after Bedard left.

Danny Valencia had two of the Twins’ six hits. He doubled and scored in the
fifth inning and hit a three-run homer in the sixth.

It was the first time in six games that the Twins had an extra-base hit. On
Friday, they snapped a run of 27 scoreless innings by getting a pair of
bases-loaded walks.

Twins starter Terry Doyle went 2 2-3 innings and allowed two runs on seven
hits and a walk. The right-hander left the game with the Twins trailing, 2-0.

“I think the problem today was that I felt too good,” Doyle said. “I felt
so good I was overthrowing a little bit, couldn’t get the ball down in the zone
and didn’t get good sink on my fastball. I tried to take it light this week
throwing bullpens so I would feel good. I’ve got to find that good balance of
getting my work in and not being tired and not doing anything so I’m too
fresh.”

Doyle was a Rule 5 draft pick in December and must be offered back to the
Chicago White Sox if he doesn’t make the Twins’ roster. He split last season
between Class-A and Double-A.

“The spot that I’m in, I can’t do anything about it except go out and
pitch,” Doyle said. “Hopefully, that will be good enough for me to make the
club.”

The Twins also played a “B” game Saturday, but manager Ron Gardenhire
wanted Doyle to face the Pirates’ everyday players.

“It was a good experience for me to face a full lineup of major league
hitters,” Doyle said. “I got my pitch count up, which is one of the pluses I
can take out of it.”

The Pirates had 11 hits, the sixth game in a row that they have reached
double digits. Nate McLouth went 2 for 2 and Casey McGehee went 3 for 3 with one
RBI.

“Our at-bats are better throughout the lineup,” Pirates manager Clint
Hurdle said. “We’ve had more two-strike hits. We’re putting balls in play and
getting down the lines. We believe it will catch on.”

It was a solid game for McGehee, who will open the season platooning at
first base with Garrett Jones. Three days earlier, McGehee got extra at-bats in
an intrasquad scrimmage to refine his swing.

“You’re always looking for rhythm and timing,” Hurdle said. “The results
come quicker with some guys than others. He’s trusting himself a little bit
more. He had some really good at-bats (in the scrimmage) and we saw more on the
field today.”

NOTES: Saturday, the Pirates beat the Twins in a “B” game, 8-2. DH Matt
Hague hit a three-run homer and 1B Jeff Clement went 3 for 3 with three RBIs.
… Pirates RHP A.J. Burnett (broken orbital) bone returned to camp after having
surgery eight days ago in Pittsburgh. Burnett is expected to miss two to three
months. … Pirates 2B Neil Walker, who missed three games due to lower back
tightness, went through a full workout Saturday and was cleared to return to
game action. He’s set to bat cleanup in the game Sunday against Tampa Bay. …
Pirates RHP Charlie Morton will make his Grapefruit League debut Monday against
Philadelphia. Morton had hip surgery in October. … The Pirates will scrimmage
against the Netherlands at 1 p.m. Monday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – If Scott Baker has another arm injury, it won’t be for lack of work. Since missing a month to a flexor strain at the end of last season, the Minnesota Twins right-hander has been trying to do all he can to stay healthy.

“I obviously make sure that I do all the preventative stuff, so maybe I do little more than I have in the past, but that’s not a bad thing,” he said.

A year ago, Baker was easing back into form after an offseason elbow cleanout; today, he breezed through two innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in a 3-2 victory at Charlotte County Sports Park, allowing no hits and one walk.

“I feel good,” he said.

The trick for Baker is to throw more innings. He arguably had his best season in 2011,

going 8-6 with a 3.14 earned-run average, but was limited by arm problems to 134-2/3 innings. We went on the disabled list twice because of that flexor strain, returning to pitch three innings of relief over two late appearances and went into the offseason on his regular schedule.

“There’s peace in knowing I’m doing everything I can to stay healthy,” he said.

That includes strengthening and mobility exercises and making sure the arm is “nice and warm, nice and loose” before he pitches.

General manager Terry Ryan has made no secret he wants his starters to throw deeper into games. Last season, right-hander Carl Pavano was the only starter to throw 200 innings (222-1/3) and make every start (35). It was a large part of why he signed

righty Jason Marquis as a free agent and selected right-hander Terry Doyle with No. 2 overall in the Rule 5 draft.

Baker threw 200 innings in 2009, but otherwise has never thrown more than 172-1/3 in four full major league seasons.

“You do the best you can,” Baker said. “You take precautions, obviously. … I did the best I could to the best of my knowledge. So here we are, and so far, so good.”

MALONEY HAS ‘FUNK’

Left-hander Matt Maloney pitched two scoreless innings of relief today,

surrendering two hits and strike out one. Manager Ron Gardenhire said the Twins will stretch him out as a possible starter. He has started 11 games in the majors, all with Cincinnati, but started in 134 of his 136 minor league appearances.

“He spins the ball a little bit, he’s got some funk in him,” Gardenhire said. “He’s a big, tall lefty. I like him. We’ll see more of him and see what happens.”

BRIEFLY

Ryan Doumit caught in a game for the first time this spring. He went 1 for 3 with an RBI single. Third baseman Danny Valencia had the other RBI. The third run scored on an error by Rays shortstop Sean Rodriguez. … First-base coach Jerry White was cleared to return to work after undergoing a precautionary stress test today. White,

59, was hospitalized Monday after complaining of tightness in his chest and abdomen.