Ron Gardenhire Playing Quotations

We did our part on the pitching but didn't get it done offensively today. We have to keep playing to see if we can put together some hits and get going.

He feels better about himself. He's confident -- the whole package. And he's playing good. We thought he would bounce back and play well.

We thought we were ready leaving Spring Training. We were playing very good and swinging the bat good and everybody thought they were where they needed to be.

He's hasn't told me he needs to be shut down yet. We're playing him. As long as you can play. Everybody has issues this time of year -- believe me. Everybody is hurt. Everybody is playing hurt. If you're not, you probably didn't play very hard.

Our pitching is pretty close to where we need to be. I think we're going to be fine. It's not going to get easier going into Cleveland (this weekend). We're going to be playing a lot of good baseball teams early, so you're not going to be able to breathe. You've got to keep grinding.

That would be a little hard, having a team in your own division, playing them 19 times. But that's a business decision for them to make. It definitely makes less travel for us, but we'd be playing a team in our division.

We'll put him over there and have him play in some live games. If he can play seven to nine innings and he makes it through it, then he'll be playing by next Tuesday.

You know it's fun to see some things happening a little bit. It hasn't been great, we know it's not going to be a perfect situation or scenario because our expectations were one place and we didn't reach them. But you always have to look for positives. You're playing every night and that's what we've been trying to do.

This was a tough series. They are playing very, very well. They are a very confident group.

We just kept banging away and fortunately enough, they made one mistake, missed a ball which hurt them. You've just got to keep playing because you never know what is going to happen in the game.

We're playing against teams that are fighting for the playoffs and we're going to make every effort to get after it as hard as we can, ... My goal is not to let anybody clinch while we're on the field with them.

We were playing a very good team here with a changed lineup and I think we battled pretty good in the series. Our pitching is pretty close to where we need it to be. I think we're going to be fine.

As I've told him, we really have to slow this thing down. This is a thing that could come back in a heartbeat with one bad movement. He's out there just playing catch, but if you have to get in a game and wheel and let it fly, that's when something is going to happen. If he does it again, he's set way back.

You're playing in between so if he hits the ball hard you have a chance to turn a double play. But he hit a little topper that you're not going to be able to do much with.

They have good pitching. They can throw. They got a good middle of the lineup. They're catching the ball in the middle of the infield. They're playing very aggressive. They're doing the things that we have to do to get back in it.

This kid has a lot of talent and brings a strong bat. It will be interesting to see how he does in Spring Training and how his knee will take to the wear and tear of playing in the outfield.

They're playing the game over there. That's a great baseball team.

It was a very nice series for us, after coming off a tough road trip. We came back home and did what you have to do to get righted. Guys are now getting into a bit of a groove and playing good ball.

Once he starts playing the outfield and proves to us that he can run the bases and play the outfield a few days in a row, then we'll see where he's at.

I loved watching Ozzie manage in the other dugout and he manages just like he played. He had fun playing the game and he manages having fun and that's the way we should all try to do it. I think he set a pretty good tone.

I personally think he handles himself good when he's out there. He's a little more relaxed. Third base is a hot spot. He handled it fine, he did fine, but I think he handles playing out there a lot better.

Him playing in Japan last year kind of leaves us a void here as to what he's going to look like. We were told he was in good shape here and ready to go. He's excited about being back here and he's excited about being back with the Twins, so those are all good things. If he comes here in shape and healthy, then he can be a big plus for our team.

If he starts ripping the cover off the ball, that always puts a thought in your mind to keep him. Playing everyday in the outfield is a better thing for him right now, so one thing I don't want is him here coming off the bench and being a pinch-hitter.

He's on a little roll right now. He's playing very well right now. I want to keep him in the lineup when he's swinging good. He's been one of our better hitters on this trip. I'm trying to keep him going.