Joe Nathan headed to Twin Cities for MRI; Blackburn inks four-year deal

FORT MYERS -- Twins closer Joe Nathan said Sunday morning that he will return to Minnesota for an MRI exam on his surgically repaired right elbow.

Nathan left Saturday's game against Boston with the injury and came back Sunday morning feeling continued soreness and stiffness in the elbow.

Nathan, 35, had surgery Oct. 20 to remove bone spurs and other loose particles from the elbow. He hopes and the team hopes that what he's experiencing is the breaking up of scar tissue in the elbow.

"We're going to get some pictures just for some peace of mind," Nathan said.

Nathan said he would have taken a couple days off from throwing anyway, so he'll get the elbow looked at, comparing this MRI exam with one that he had before undergoing surgery.

MORE BREAKING NEWS: The Twins just announced that they have signed Nick Blackburn to a four-year, $14 million contract. The deal includes an $8 million club option for 2014.

Meanwhile, here are the lineups for today's game between the Twins and Yankees:

Yankees: 1. Brett Gardner CF, 2. Nick Swisher DH, 3. Mark Teixeira 1B, 4. Robinson Cano 2B, 5. Marcus Thames LF, 6. Jamie Hoffman RF, 7. Mike Rivera C, 8. Ramiro Pena SS, 9. Brandon Laird 3B.

Scheduled pitchers: Sergio Mitre, Chad Gaudin.

Twins: 1. Ben Revere CF, 2. Nick Punto 3B, 3. Joe Mauer C, Michael Cuddyer RF, Jason Kubel DH, Brock Peterson 1B, Jacque Jones LF, 8. Matt Tolbert SS, 9. Alexi Casilla 2B.

Scheduled pitchers: Scott Baker, Jon Rauch, Matt Guerrier, Pat Neshek, Mike Maroth, Jesse Crain, Deolis Guerra.

Hammond Stadium. First pitch: 12:05 p.m. (Central). No TV. Twins Radio Network

(Note: It's a split-squad day for the Twins, so La Velle is covering the Twins/Pirates in Bradenton.)