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AL DIVISION SERIES: TWINS v YANKEES

October 9, 2009

Ron Gardenhire

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Game Two

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Ron Gardenhire today.

Q. Can you just talk about your lineup changes for today?
RON GARDENHIRE: Blackburn pitching, Gomez in center, and Span moves to right. Kubel goes to DH, something we've done pretty much throughout the year off and on. Get our defense out there and Go-Go (Carlos Gomez) brings the speed part to the lineup, covers a lot of ground, irritates people, sometimes me.

Q. How much is yesterday's off day going to help you guys for tonight's game?
RON GARDENHIRE: I feel better. I don't know how much it will help us. And I think our guys, you know, probably feel a little bit better from the soreness and so forth you get from long travel and extra-inning ballgame. But only time will tell. I think now it's a baseball game. You have to get out there and see who does it between the lines.
But we should feel better. A day off should help us.

Q. Can you talk about how Pavano has been since the trade and what kind of impact he's had for you?
RON GARDENHIRE: He's been great for us, a veteran pitcher. Coming over in the middle -- we had a bunch of young guys. A bunch of guys went down. Having him sit and talk with even my young catcher, Morales, has helped Morales out and some of the young pitchers.
But just, you know, the leadership you get from a guy who's been there and done it has been very, very important. And then watch him go out on the mound. When he's throwing the ball, how he works hitters and works the zone when he's got his good stuff. He's in and out and using all his pitches and can pitch backwards if he has to. That's something that some of our younger pitchers need to learn to do. So he's been very important for us.

Q. Joe Mauer obviously gets a ton of attention for his offense. Could you discuss how comforting it is for you to have him behind the plate and working with a young staff and all that he brings defensively?
RON GARDENHIRE: Yeah, he's taken on obviously over the years a little more leadership role. Used to you would have to look at him and tell him Joe go out this and talk to the pitcher, calm him down. Joe recognizes all those things a little bit better now as he's caught a few more ballgames. And I think our pitchers understand it. We don't see as many bobbleheads out on the mound as we used to. I think they trust him a lot more. And you don't see the shaking and Joe puts down a finger and you don't have to see (nodding).
That's a good thing.

Q. I know you said it mostly, but what does irritate you about Gomez?
RON GARDENHIRE: Some of his swings. When we're looking -- we need a base-runner and he swings and falls down on the ground and things like that. We've been trying to get him to calm down and him control the situations, and sometimes the situation controls him. And those are the things we work on with him.
He's also one of those guys you just love, because his enthusiasm for the game and how much fun he has, it just kind of flows around everybody else. But there's times when, yes, you're like "Go-Go, you have to see what we're trying to do here." We just had a 25-pitch inning from our pitcher and he goes up and falls down swinging first pitch. Those things get you irritated as a manager. Because we want him to recognize what we're doing in a game. But he can play. And he's fun to watch. He's very, very talented and has a lot to learn, yes, but like I said, when you see him out there in center field covering all that ground and then some of the offensive things that he can do that other people can't do, that's why the guy is in the big leagues.

Q. Are you definite with Pavano for 3 and Baker for 4?
RON GARDENHIRE: Yes, I'm absolutely definite that my pitching coach said Pavano is pitching. I listen to my pitching coach. I really do listen to him. He does not want one more question about it. And so I'm definite. It's a lock.

Q. As much admiration as the organization has gotten for five division championships in eight years, are you tired of losing in first rounds and how much pressure are you feeling to get over the hump?
RON GARDENHIRE: Hell, I hate it. I just love losing in the first round.
We have run into some really good baseball teams, as you always do in the playoffs. And playoffs can go either way. It's always one play here, one pitch there, and fortunately we've been on the bad side of it. We want to win more than anybody. Just getting in the playoffs is never what you're after. You want to win the World Series. And we've got a group of guys that want to win the World Series right here. You just have to go get it done on the field. Unfortunately for us we haven't been able to do that. We've had some really good runs and some opportunities. We just haven't taken advantage of it. So frustrated, absolutely. Happy to be in the playoffs, that's where you want to be, because that's the only way you get a chance to get to the World Series.
Here we are again. And we'll see what happens.
THE MODERATOR: Anything else? Okay, thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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