Fans stand and roar for diving Carlos Gomez
By Kelsie Smith - St. Paul Pioneer Press
04/20/2008
http://www.twincities.com/ci_8996160?source=most_viewed
Carlos Gomez went 0 for 5 yet managed to get a standing ovation
Sunday.
The cheering came after the Twins' center fielder made a spectacular
diving catch in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win over Cleveland in 10
innings.
"He closed on that ball, reminded me a lot of (former Minnesota center
fielder) Torii (Hunter)," said Justin Morneau, who, as the Twins'
designated hitter, watched the play from the dugout. "You look out
there and you think, man, that ball is going to fall, and then all of
the sudden he comes out of nowhere, and he held on to it. That was
huge."
Huge because it came in a sticky ninth inning and stopped Cleveland
from scoring what would have been the go-ahead run.
The 27,703 at the Metrodome erupted after the catch, continued
cheering for several seconds, and finally, gradually, stood. Call the
ovation, which Gomez certainly noticed, an acknowledgment of
acceptance.
"I hear," Gomez said. "It's unbelievable because the last center
fielder here is the best, and (if) somebody thinks I'm try to replace
Torii, I don't try to replace nobody."
Buscher in at third: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire started Brian
Buscher, called up from Class AAA Rochester on Saturday when shortstop
Adam Everett went on the 15-day disabled list, at third base and moved
Mike Lamb to first.
That meant Morneau got his first day off of the season. Granted, a day
off for Morneau still meant he was in the lineup as the DH. Morneau
wanted a day off from defense, Gardenhire said, because the Metrodome
turf was beginning to wear on his back.
Buscher started playing first base in spring training and played the
position a few times for the Red Wings this season. Still, Gardenhire
and Buscher agree third base is a more natural position for the
26-year-old.
For the first couple of weeks in spring training, Gardenhire couldn't
say enough good things about Buscher's preparation, how hard he had
worked on his defense and how good he looked at the plate. As camp
wore on, though, Buscher's bat cooled considerably, and ultimately the
Twins decided Matt Tolbert, with his middle infield and outfield
abilities, was the better option.
"It was really tough because I said early in camp Buscher really came
in on a mission," Gardenhire said. "It got down to, you know, he was
kind of limited to first and third. ... We were looking more for
versatility off the bench, being able to pinch-run and all those
things. Tolbert was more suited for that kind of stuff."
Buscher went to Rochester and rediscovered his early camp groove. In
15 games with the Red Wings he batted .345 with two doubles, four home
runs and 11 runs batted in.
"I guess I got into a routine, got consistent with things, and it
worked out at the plate for me," said Buscher, who went 1 for 4 with a
double Sunday. "Knowing you're getting four (at-bats) instead of two,
it's a little less pressure on you."
Briefly: After blowing leads in consecutive games in Detroit last
week, Minnesota's bullpen was back to its stingy ways during the
homestand, allowing one run (a solo homer surrendered by Juan Rincon)
over 16 1/3 innings in five games against Tampa Bay and Cleveland.
Tolbert's sore foot had healed enough for Gardenhire to consider
putting him in the lineup Sunday, and the manager thought about
playing him at either shortstop or second base. Ultimately, Nick Punto
earned a second straight start at shortstop because of his defensive
heroics Saturday, and Brendan Harris started at second for the same
reason.
After Morneau's walk-off single, Gardenhire said left fielder Delmon
Young, who bats after Morneau, joked, "They're afraid to walk Mornie
and pitch to me."
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- Scott Smith: scott.sm...@iphouse.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/choppersmith
