quot;It was our family reunion,quot; said Guerrier, quot;and they built it around the series. We had an off day so that really helped.

quot;It was a lot of fun. Everyone told me, 'Tell the manager to make sure you get in the game because we're all here.' quot;

Guerrier didn't have the heart to tell them it doesn't work like that.

quot;I just said, 'Sure, I'll tell him,' quot; he said.

Guerrier grew up an Indians fan.

quot;I remember coming back here in 2004 when Omar Vizquel was still here,quot; said Guerrier. quot;In 2007, I pitched against them when they brought back Kenny Lofton. I just thought it was kind of cool because I'd grown up watching those guys when they went to the World Series in the mid-1990s and they were a great team.quot;

Guerrier found out quickly that being a fan doesn't work on the mound.

quot;No, it wasn't weird facing them,quot; he said. quot;It was one of those things that I dreamed of doing as a kid.

quot;Once you start facing them you realize it's more important to get them out than worry about facing them. It's you against them. They don't care how big a fan you are. They just want to beat you up.quot;

Guerrier, 30, made a career-high 76 appearances last year. He tied former Angel Francisco Rodriguez for the most appearances in the American League.

quot;I think I got a little tired toward the end of the year,quot; he said. quot;I took a little more time off during the off-season and decided I'd get ready more in spring training.

quot;We've got a lot of good guys in the pen this year. They can go to a lot of different options. It's helped us all out, I think.quot;

Guerrier went into Saturday night's game at 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in seven appearances. He'd allowed six runs on nine hits in 8 2/3 innings. The opposition was hitting .265 against him with seven strikeouts and one walk.

He makes his off-season home in Birmingham, Ala., where his parents moved from Shaker Heights. Guerrier said his brother and some other relatives attended Saturday's game.

Tune-up complete: Manager Eric Wedge said before Saturday's game that he was hopeful of getting Rafael Perez in the game. That's just what happened as the struggling lefty relieved starter Carl Pavano with the bases loaded, no one out and the Twins leading, 4-0, in the sixth inning.

It was Perez's first appearance since April 19 in New York because of a mechanical breakdown. He gave up a sacrifice fly Saturday before ending the inning with two straight outs.

quot;He's been making progress,quot; said Wedge.

Perez, a key set-up man for the past two years, had allowed 13 runs on 10 hits in seven innings before Saturday. The opposition was hitting .370 against him with two strikeouts and nine walks.

Last year, Perez reached career highs in innings (76 1/3) and appearances (73). Wedge doesn't think that's why Perez has struggled this year.

quot;We backed off him at the end of last year,quot; said the manager. quot;Plus, he pitched well in spring training.quot;

Perez has had trouble pitching in Cleveland's cold April weather for the last two years.

quot;The weather always comes into play,quot; said Wedge. quot;If it has affected him, he'd better make some adjustments if he's going to play here.quot;

Benched: Shortstop Jhonny Peralta, 0-for-14 in this homestand, was benched for Saturday's game. Asdrubal Cabrera started at short.

Peralta is hitting .237 (15-for-59) with no homers and six RBI. He had five homers at the end of April last year.

Finally: Trevor Crowe, Cabrera and Ben Francisco took early bunting practice Saturday.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter

phoynes@laind.com, 216-999-5158