MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -All-Star catcher Joe Mauer sat out Tuesday night against the New York Yankees with a stiff neck, leaving the Minnesota Twins to face Mike Mussina without one of their best hitters.
Mauer, fifth in the AL in batting (.316) and third in on-base percentage (.409), said he has had stiffness for the last three days, but didn’t think it would become an ongoing issue.
“I’m hoping to get more treatment and be back in there tomorrow,” Mauer said.
Twins manager Ron Gardenhire originally planned to start Mauer on Tuesday night and rest him on Wednesday in the series finale, his usual plan to limit the stress on his star catcher.
But those plans changed when Gardenhire walked into the clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon.
“I saw him when I walked in and he was pretty sore and said he thought could get loose,” Gardenhire said. “I walked back there a little later and he was still fighting it pretty good, so there’s no sense in pushing it.”
Mike Redmond got the start and hit in Mauer’s customary No. 3 spot in front of Justin Morneau.
The Twins could have used Mauer against Mussina, who has dominated Minnesota throughout his career. Mussina took a 22-6 career record with a 3.06 ERA against the Twins into Tuesday night’s start.
Mauer is 0-for-8 lifetime against Mussina, but Gardenhire said the matchup did not play into the decision. Redmond is 3-for-11 (.273) in his career against Mussina.
“When I woke up today it was pretty stiff and sore, but I mean it’s getting better,” Mauer said. “Get back in there and let the trainers work on me some more.”
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