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03/03/2006 2:15 PM ET
Notes: White announces retirement
Sierra tries his hand at first base; Durbin struggles in outing
By Kelly Thesier / MLB.com
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Gabe White had pitched for five Major League clubs prior to joining the Twins. (Jim Mone/AP)
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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins' three-man veteran race for the left-handed spot in the bullpen dropped down to two on Friday when Gabe White told the Twins that he was retiring.
The decision came after White pitched one inning in the Twins' Grapefruit League opener on Thursday night, giving up two triples and two runs. A non-roster invitee to Twins camp, White had hoped to earn the open spot in the bullpen but realized that physically, he just couldn't compete anymore.
"I just laid awake all night last night, staring at the TV," White said. "Physically and mentally, it's just time to move on -- let somebody else do it.
The pitcher met with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson on Friday morning to inform them of this decision. White said that he began to feel pain in his throwing elbow after about three batters on Thursday. It wasn't the first time he has dealt with aches and pains, as his knee has swelled throughout Spring Training during running drills. The physical ills took a toll on White.
"You can't hide anything as a pitcher," White said. "When you're on the mound you have to be 100 percent, you can't compete with anything less."
White had been competing with left-handers Darrell May and Dennys Reyes for the open bullpen spot. The 34-year-old White pitched for the Reds, Rockies, Yankees, Cardinals and Expos over his eight years in the Majors.
Last season, White was released by Atlanta at the end of Spring Training and cut by St. Louis at the end of July after making six relief appearances. Though he has had his share of ups and downs over the past year, ending the career that he has spent almost his entire life pursuing was something that didn't come easy for White.
"It's a very difficult decision for me," White said. "I went through a lot of emotions last night, a lot of crying and bawling up. But I respect this game a lot and if I can't give it what I think it should be given, then it's time to move on."
New position: Ruben Sierra will soon add another position to his resume -- first base.
Sierra has been taking ground balls at the position during the early parts of the spring and Gardenhire said that he will start the 40-year-old at the spot during one of the games in the Twins' Grapefruit League schedule.
Though the 40-year-old has never played at the spot during his Major League career, the Twins believe that having Sierra's right-handed bat to back up left-hander Justin Morneau would be a big advantage.
"You want to be able to put him in the game," Gardenhire said. "You need to have those days where you can get him four at-bats here and four at-bats there to keep him sharp for late-inning situations and big pinch-hit situations."
Sierra saw his first action in a game for the Twins on Friday as a designated hitter and proved that he still has some speed left in his bat. Sierra went 1-for-1 with a walk and a hard liner to left.
The trial at first won't come immediately, as Gardenhire plans on starting Sierra in left field for Sunday's home game against the Red Sox. He will make sure that Sierra sees some significant time out in the field this spring, whether it's at first or in the outfield, to make sure that he is used to the role.
"He told me they didn't play him at all in a position in Spring Training, and then they get to the season and half way through they start him in the outfield," Gardenhire said. "We just need to get him out there so he can see balls off bats and try to get him acclimated."
Durbin roughed up: It was a rough day for most of the Twins pitchers, but maybe none more so than J.D. Durbin.
In his first outing of the spring, Durbin gave up five runs on six hits in one inning.
"The ball was up and out and over the plate," Gardenhire said of the young pitcher. "He can't seem to locate, but that was his first time out there and the big thing with him is feeling healthy. Maybe location will come."
The right-hander is coming off two seasons limited by injuries, and despite the bashing he took on Friday, Gardenhire chose to remain positive that things could turn around.
"He's got velocity and he has a breaking ball, it just didn't work out for him today," Gardenhire said. "He got beat."
Bullpen questions: Gardenhire made it clear that he is looking for two distinct roles for the two open spots in the Twins bullpen.
One is a long reliever who can eat up innings in the early spring, when starters can sometimes only last five or six innings. The other is a situational type of pitcher who can either intimidate hitters with speed or be brought in for special situations to face a lefty.
A name that Gardenhire threw in the mix for one of those roles wasn't one that he necessarily believed would be taken seriously, but one that has impressed the coaching staff so far this spring -- Glen Perkins.
Perkins, a left-hander and the Twins' first-round pick in the 2004 First-Year Player Draft, threw two scoreless innings in Friday's game and struck out three. It wasn't the first time he showed his ability to get hitters out this spring. Gardenhire chuckled as he told a story of former manager Tom Kelly bringing six broken bats into his office a few days earlier to give to pitching coach Rick Anderson as a gift from Perkins.
"We know it's early with the kid, but we like his arm," Gardenhire said. "He's been throwing the ball very well down here."
Coming up: The Twins are set to play two split-squad games on Saturday. Boof Bonser will get the start at Hammond Stadium against the Indians. The other half of the club will head to St. Petersburg to take on the Devil Rays with Scott Baker taking the mound there. Both games start at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Kelly Thesier is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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