--RF Michael Cuddyer was unable to participate in any baseball activities during Thursday's workout at the Metrodome. Cuddyer's strained left index finger hasn't improved at all, manager Ron Gardenhire said. The team had originally hoped Cuddyer, eligible to come off the disabled list July 13, would be ready to begin rehabbing after the All-Star break.
--SS Nick Punto's sore left ring finger did not improve during the All-Star break, and the infielder was unable to throw when he attempted to during Thursday's workout. Punto was scheduled to see a team doctor, and manager Ron Gardenhire said he's unsure whether Punto's finger will require a trip to the DL. --INF Matt Tolbert's status remains unclear. Tolbert, who had thumb surgery earlier this season, is rehabbing in Florida, and though manager Ron Gardenhire said he believes Tolbert is on track to rejoin the team in early August, he also said the infielder was unable to grip a bat when he left for Florida earlier this month.
--In Detroit before the All-Star break, manager Ron Gardenhire admitted there is a question of whether his young starters -- four of the five have never pitched a full major league season -- can last for the entire second half. Controlling pitch counts early in the year, Gardenhire said, is the team's best way to keep the starters healthy down the stretch.
--The Twins entered the All-Star break with a major league-best .307 batting average with runners in scoring position, 27 points better than any team in baseball. "That's not easy to stay on a streak like that where with runners in scoring position, you're getting them in," Gardenhire said before the break. "If you continue that pace you ought to finish up pretty good, you'll be right there in the thick of it if you can continue with a pace like that."
BY THE NUMBERS: The Twins entered Sunday's game against Cleveland with a 31-18 record at the Metrodome this season, tied for the second most home wins in the American League, with the AL's fourth-best home batting average (.287) and the second-most runs (248 behind Chicago's 255).
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Our trainers got the game ball tonight for getting Alexi back on the field. That's how happy we were." -- Manager Ron Gardenhire, after Alexi Casilla's sore left middle finger took him out of the lineup Friday but was feeling good enough for a return Saturday, when the second baseman hit a two-run go-ahead double.
