Outfielder Delmon Young came to camp about 30 pounds lighter than he was at the end of the 2009 season, down from about 240 pounds to 208. The outfielder, who lost his mother to pancreatic cancer last May, also seems to be in an excellent frame of mind.

"He knew he needed to make some changes to his game," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We talked about him not running the bases as well last year. He was a little bigger. He knew it, too. It's something that he set his own mind out to do, to go lose some weight and get back to running the bases and all those things, moving better in the outfield. He came in great shape and he's worked his (butt) off. I tip my hat to him."

Young's weight loss was a decision he made without any suggestion from the team, and he said his offseason was...

On a tough day for the Minnesota Twins, third base prospect Danny Valencia provided something positive. Valencia hit the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning, and the Twins beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-6 on Tuesday after learning All-Star closer Joe Nathan has a torn ligament in his throwing elbow.

The Minnesota Twins suddenly have a glaring concern about closing games for the first time since Joe Nathan took over in 2004. Tests on Nathan's right throwing elbow have revealed a significant tear in the ulnar collateral ligament, an injury that could require season-ending Tommy John surgery. Nathan's 246 saves over six seasons are the most in the majors during that span.

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Twins manager Ron Gardenhire had just one complaint, and it had nothing to do with Minnesota's performance in a 5-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. Gardenhire's problem had to do with the postgame meal for the 70-mile trip back to the Twins' training complex in Fort Myers. "Two pieces of chicken on the bus.

Scott Baker was one of the highlights in a mixed day for the Minnesota Twins' pitching staff. Baker threw two effective innings, Jason Kubel homered and a Twins split-squad beat the New York Yankees 11-0 on Sunday. Baker's strong outing and Nick Blackburn's new contract was tempered by closer Joe Nathan returning to Minnesota for tests on his surgically repaired right elbow.

Bobby Crosby's work with Mark McGwire in the past three offseasons appears to be paying off. Crosby hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat a Minnesota Twins split squad 15-5 Sunday. "He's a good guy to have around," Crosby said of the St. Louis Cardinals' new hitting coach.

The Minnesota Twins have signed pitcher Nick Blackburn to a four-year, $14 million contract. The deal includes an $8 million club option for 2014. Last season, Blackburn went 11-11 for the second straight year then started in the division series when the New York Yankees won 4-3 in 11 innings. He finished the year with a 4.30 ERA.

Joe Nathan appears to have avoided the problem that struck John Lackey the past two years -- a troublesome spring training injury. The Minnesota Twins closer should be "fine" after leaving Saturday's 9-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox with soreness and tightness in his surgically repaired right elbow, manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Justin Morneau and Tim Wakefield each made encouraging returns to the field after a long offseason dealing with back injuries. Morneau marked his return to Minnesota with a two-run double and Wakefield tossed two scoreless innings for Boston in his first post-surgery appearance in a 5-0 victory by the Twins over the Red Sox on Friday.

The last time Josh Beckett and Nick Blackburn pitched, their teams lost the second game of a pair of three-game sweeps in AL division series. The stakes were much lower on Thursday night when the Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1 on Mark Wagner's tiebreaking single in the eight in the spring training opener for both teams.

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer's agent is showing up at spring training Thursday and he is sure to be...

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Randy Ruiz does not know when to quit. Playing for 10 organizations, Ruiz has spent most of...

Ozzie Guillen gets a range of reactions with his comments, and 28,000 Twitter followers want more.

Opening at Triple-A in 2009 will cost Rays pitcher David Price money, but he has more pressing matters this spring.

Justin Morneau knows how much the Minnesota Twins depend on him, which is why he has long believed that he could not afford to take a day off of work once spring training started in late February. After a back injury forced him to watch his teammates rally for the AL Central division title without him in the final month of last season, Morneau may have finally come to the realization that he...

Minnesota Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey feels better than ever. He also feels quite different.