Pineda is latest pitcher on injured list; Newcomer Garza joins Twins' bullpen

Micheal Pineda's oblique strain got no worse overnight, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said, but it's clear he can't pitch with the nagging soreness. So the Twins' righthander, who left his start in the third inning on Friday, became the eighth Twins pitcher currently on the injured list.

Pineda must sit out 10 days, but it's possible, Baldelli conceded, that his season — and Twins' career, given that his contract expires in October — is over.

"I still do hope that we will see him back this year. How confident I am about that, it's hard to say at the moment," Baldelli said. "There are a wide range of outcomes on these types of muscle injuries. Sometimes they can take a little while to heal up."

The Twins already have a vacancy in their rotation, one that lefthander Charlie Barnes will fill on Sunday in the finale of this three-game series with the Rays, which continues tonight at Target Field. (First pitch is scheduled for 6:48 p.m., after an on-field ceremony honoring the 1991 World Series champions.) Baldelli said the Twins have some options in mind for Wednesday's game against Cleveland, which would have been Pineda's next start, but they haven't made a decision yet.

In the meantime, Ralph Garza Jr., who has been in the organization for only 10 days, is now on the major-league roster and in the bullpen tonight. Garza, a righthander claimed off waivers from the Astros earlier this month, pitched three times for the Class AAA St. Paul Saints. After allowing three runs and retiring only two batters against Louisville, Garza has pitched three straight scoreless innings, enough to convince the Twins to take a look.

The 27-year-old Texan is the second player in Twins history named Garza, since another pitcher, Matt Garza, spent 2006 and 2007 with Minnesota before being traded to Tampa Bay for Delmon Young. But he's also the second Twin ever with the first name Ralph — though you might not know it. The first? Catcher Dave Engle, who came to Minnesota from Anaheim in the 1979 Rod Carew trade and hit the first home run in Metrodome history, was actually named Ralph David Engle.

Here are the lineups for tonight's game against the first-place Rays, who have won seven of their last eight games, including Friday's 10-4 rout, and own the best record in the American League:

RAYS

Lowe 2B

Meadows LF

Cruz DH

Choi 1B

Franco SS

Arozarena RF

Wendle 3B

Kiermaier CF

Mejia C

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Wacha RHP

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TWINS

Kepler RF

Rooker LF

Polanco 2B

Donaldson DH

Arraez 3B

Garver C

Sano 1B

Refsnyder CF

Simmons SS

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Maeda RHP