Twins will be careful with Brian Dozier's sore back, other notes

DOZIER'S SORE BACK: Brian Dozier told the Twins he woke up Monday with some back spasms but thought he would be ready to play once he got warmed up. "But batting practice was difficult," Molitor said. That led to Dozier being scratched about an hour before the scheduled first pitch. The Twins will be very cautious with Dozier, so I don't expect him to be in the lineup on Tuesday since it's a day game. It could be a blessing in disguise for Dozier. I think he still has some lingering issues with his left ankle, which he rolled last month while playing second base.

ROSTER MOVE: After the game, the Twins reinstated Ehire Adrianza off the disabled list and optioned Kennys Vargas to Class AAA Rochester. Vargas actually was 1-for-4 on Monday but as batting .133 over his previous 14 games. He has stopped drawing walks and needs to take a step back and regroup. One of the reasons the Twins didn't bring Byung Ho Park up north -after a strong camp - was to give Vargas at bats. Twins manager Paul Molitor said at the time that the move was temporary, but it wasn't. Vargas was to get his chance this year, and has blown it. The combination of Molitor needing Robbie Grossman in the lineup and a 13th pitcher mean someone has to go, and that's the guy hitting .142 over his last 15 games. The coaching staff has given Vargas some things to work on while at Rochester. Who knows when he will be back? The Twins might need to carry 13 pitchers the rest of the season.

MEYER'S BALK: Alex Meyer and Angels skipper Mike Scioscia weren't very pleased about Meyer being charged with a balk in the second inning. But the Twins believe Meyer buckled his front leg, a move righthanders trying to get away with. "I think a lot of teams are teaching it now, to some degree, because it is so quick it is hard to detect unless you slow it down," Molitor said. That allowed the first run of the game to score. Meyer then served up a two-run homer to Joe Mauer. Meyer showed a lot of promise with the Twins, and some fans are still howling after he was part of the Nolasco-Santiago trade. But Meyer showed some tendencies the Twins are familiar with. He let the second inning get away from him. He's walked at least four batters in seven starts this season, tied for the most in baseball. Santiago is clearly struggling, but it is not judgment day for this deal yet.