Looking for some much-needed momentum, the Minnesota Twins will send lefthander Scott Diamond to the hill on Mother's Day in search of a series victory over Toronto.
Despite a 2-1 loss on Saturday in a game where his team managed just five hits, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire will send out a near-identical lineup for Sunday's finale against Toronto starter Ricky Romero. Still one win away from double-digit victories for the year, sluggers Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham will be integral against a dangerous changeup pitcher like Romero.
The Twins are hoping that the 25-year-old Diamond, who pitched seven strong innings with six strikeouts to pick up his first victory of 2012 against the Angels on May 8, will be a player that the organization can begin to build a rotation around. Diamond will face a nine-man Toronto order that features elite home run power from top-to-bottom, so he will need to be judicial with his command.
Here are the full lineups for both teams:
Twins
1. Denard Span - CF
2. Brian Dozier - SS
3. Joe Mauer - 1B
4. Josh Willingham - LF
5. Ryan Doumit - DH
6. Trevor Plouffe - 3B
7. Erik Komatsu - RF
8. Drew Butera - C
9. Jamey Carroll - 2B
Scott Diamond - SP
Blue Jays
1. Kelly Johnson - 2B
2. Yunel Escobar - SS
3. Jose Bautista - RF
4. Edwin Encarnacion - 1B
5. Ben Francisco - DH
6. Brett Lawrie - 3B
7. Colby Rasmus - CF
8. J.P. Arencibia - C
9. Rajai Davis - LF
Ricky Romero - SP
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