The Twins lost their home opener Monday night but were more concerned afterward with the possibility of losing their starting catcher. Pushed into the role as No. 1 catcher while Joe Mauer is on the disabled list, Mike Redmond was hit in the neck and shoulder with the barrel of a broken bat and, just minutes later, "tweaked" his right groin while running to second on a double to lead off the fifth inning.
After the game the usually happy, witty 37-year-old was quiet and reserved. "I'm a little concerned, yeah, a little more than normal," Redmond said. "Obviously, knowing the situation we're in, of course (it's not good). We're just going to wait and see and hopefully it feels better tomorrow. Hopefully it was just a little cramp."
With Mauer on the DL, Redmond and Jose Morales are the two catchers on the 25-man roster. If Redmond can't recover quickly from his groin injury, the Twins' option within the farm system is Drew Butera, a .215 hitter in the minors who is prepping for his first season in Class AAA.
Manager Ron Gardenhire had little information on Redmond's status after the game, saying simply, "We'll have to wait and see what the doctors say. That's not a good thing. We don't have enough (catchers)."
"I've always been able to overcome any of (the injuries)," Redmond said. "When I got the seven stitches (after Jim Thome's bat flew out of his hands in a 2007 game and sliced open Redmond's forehead) I played the next day. I've never pulled a muscle, so like I said, if I can do it, I'll be in there for sure."
MARINERS 6, TWINS 1: Starter Francisco Liriano allowed just four hits over seven innings Monday, but all four of those baserunners scored (three of them on two home runs) as the Twins dropped their home opener in front of a sellout crowd of 48,514.
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