MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 23: Ron Gardenhire #35 of the Minnesota Twins takes the ball from Jason Marquis #21 during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox on April 23, 2012 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
The Twins take a shuffled roster into Thursday game with the Blue Jays.
At least they're trying something different.
The Minnesota Twins will get their first look at some roster changes when they start a four-game series with theToronto Blue Jays on Thursday in Minnesota.
After Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels -- the Twins' seventh loss in nine games -- the team announced that Danny Valencia (.190 batting average with 23 strikeouts and 19 hits) was optioned to Triple-A, and Matt Maloney (8.18 ERA with a .347 BA against) was designated for assignment.
The Twins will reportedly use a combo of Alexi Casilla, Jamey Carroll and Trevor Plouffe to fill in for Valencia at third base.
Outfielder Darin Mastroianni, who was called up when Valencia went down, had two at-bats last season in the majors and was hitting .286 in the minors this season.
(More on the Twins roster changes here.)
Jason Marquis will start Thursday for the Twins. He is 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA. Henderson Alvarez will start for the Jays. This season Alvarez is 2-2 with a 2.83 ERA and threw a complete game shutout last time out.
The Twins are a league-worst 8-22 and are just 4-10 at home. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are 17-14 and in the middle of the pack in the AL East.
First pitch is schedule for 7:10 Central.
For more on the Minnesota Twins, check out Twinkie Town. You can also head over to SB Nation's main MLB hub atBaseball Nation, or tune in to SB Nation's YouTube channel:
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