The Twins got a glimpse of what their revamped lineup might be capable of on Saturday, when they exploded for 12 runs against Texas, their largest output of the season.
Best of all: The bottom of the order led the charge. Hitters six through nine piled up at least two hits apiece, and combined to go 9-for-18 with six runs batted in. That's what manager Ron Gardenhire had in mind when he moved left fielder Delmon Young down to seventh in the lineup, between left-handed designated hitter Jason Kubel and lefty third baseman Mike Lamb. And with center fielder Carlos Gomez out of the lineup with a strained calf, outfielder Craig Monroe filled in, and batted ninth.
"I like how this lineup stretches out. We've got good hitters up and down the order," Gardenhire said. "When you've got a professional hitter like Craig Monroe batting ninth, you know you've got some depth."
The big output didn't surprise Young, who said he was fine with the move to seventh, after hitting fifth for much of the season.
"A lot of these guys have batted third, fourth or fifth on other teams," said Young, who is hitting .258 but only has eight RBIs so far this season. "That shows you what kind of hitters we have."
