--LHP Francisco Liriano, bothered on and off by a sore left shoulder since spring training, was placed on the disabled list Monday and will miss his next scheduled start. The Twins were hoping Liriano could test the shoulder with a bullpen session, but manager Ron Gardenhire said: "He still doesn't feel good enough." RHP Anthony Swarzak, who pitched 7 1/3 innings of no-hit baseball Saturday against the Angels, will start Thursday in Kansas City.

--RHP Anthony Slama was called up from Class AAA Rochester to take RHP Anthony Swarzak's spot in the bullpen and Francisco Liriano's place on the roster. Slama is 2-1 with a 3.70 ERA in 16 appearances with the Red Wings. He made his major league debut with the Twins late last season, going 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA in five appearances.

--RF/DH Jason Kubel left Monday's loss after spraining his left foot while leaping for Victor Martinez's game-tying, two-run home run in the sixth inning.

And X-ray revealed no broken bones, but his foot will be placed in a boot.

"It felt funny when I jumped, for the home run," Kubel said. "It felt like it popped. And then when I landed, immediately pain just shot all over my foot."

Kubel, who was 2-for-3 with a run on Monday, leads the Twins with a .310 batting average and 30 RBI. "I thought it was pretty bad at first," he said. "Walking around out there, I though I might have done some damage. But it looks good, so I feel good about that."

--C Joe Mauer's primary obstacle to returning to the major leagues seems to be a sore shoulder, manager Ron Gardenhire said. Placed on the disabled list April 14 because of bilateral leg weakness, Mauer as been rehabbing at extended spring training in Fort Myers, Fla., since May 18. He has been playing in extended spring training games for the last few days, but has yet to catch. As the designated hitter on Monday, he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts during an extended spring training game. Asked Monday what Mauer's biggest issue is, Gardenhire said: "Shoulder. I think his legs are feeling good." Trainer Dave Pruemer said Mauer is well into a throwing program, playing long toss up to 150 feet and throwing from home plate to second base.

--IF Tsuyoshi Nishioka, on the disabled list since April 8 because of a broken leg, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout while playing second base Monday in an extended spring training game in Fort Myers, Fla.

BY THE NUMBERS
11 -- LHP Francisco Liriano (sore shoulder) on Monday became the 11th Twin to be placed on the 15-day disabled list this season. Joe Nathan was placed there Friday because of tenderness in his surgically repaired right elbow.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"We're not playing well, and you go crazy at night thinking about it, but there are more important things going on. You do what you can on the field, but there's so much more to life. It keeps things in perspective. Baseball and life are two separate things." -- Manager Ron Gardenhire, reflecting on the cancer battle of friend and former teammate Gary Carter.

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