Healthy Twins delivered

Mauer and Morneau have been quite a pair

Joe Mauer was stretching near his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Tropicana Field Friday, getting ready for his 131st game behind the plate and crediting his durability to an unrelenting conditioning program. On the other side of the clubhouse, Twins teammate Justin Morneau was gearing up to play in his 154th game of the season (he hasn't missed one).

In 2006, Mauer won the batting title and Morneau was AL MVP. Two years later, this remarkable 1-2 punch in the middle of the Minnesota batting order is in position to repeat. Mauer was leading the league at .328 entering yesterday's action, while Morneau had a .311 average, 23 homers, 45 doubles, and 128 RBIs.

While both will tell you they're focused on overtaking the White Sox - whom they play Tuesday through Thursday - for the divisional title, they do allow themselves to sneak a peek at the personal side of things.

Mauer, 25, is amazing in that while most catchers tend to fade offensively as the season progresses and the wear and tear on their bodies reaches a painful crescendo, he is playing better.

"I'm not going to lie," said the 6-foot-5-inch, 230-pounder. "There are days I don't feel so good, especially this late in the season, but every catcher in baseball is in that stage right now."

How do they do it?

"Mauer is one of the finest-conditioned athletes you'll ever see," said Twins general manager Bill Smith. "He's got a workout routine and a routine with the trainers that has kept him healthy and producing at a high level. He's a great young player, a fine hitter, and he has great tools behind the plate. Believe me, we're thrilled to have him."

Mauer offers no magic potion for the .400 career on-base percentage, or the .416 he has this season or the .429 he had in '06, when he hit .347 with 13 homers and 84 RBIs. He has no miracle regimen for the 131 times he's squatted behind home plate with only three errors and four passed balls catching what might be the youngest and most inexperienced pitching staff in baseball.

"I'd play every day if I could," said Mauer, a lefthanded hitter who is batting an amazing .370 against lefthanded pitchers, best in the AL. "Gardie [manager Ron Gardenhire] has pretty much recognized the days when he feels I need a day off. I don't like it, but I know he's looking out for me.

"I think the big thing for me is health. When I'm healthy like I was in '06 and this season, I know what I can do out there."

Does he peek at the batting race?

"A little bit, sure, I'm only human," said Mauer, "but the biggest thing for us is to make the playoffs."

Morneau feels the same way. He will not come out of the lineup. He says his mind is constantly on baseball. He glances over to see how the other great hitters in the league are doing, he admits, and marvels at "how many great hitters there are; to be included in that group is pretty neat."

While his home run totals are down from the last two years, Morneau has taken great satisfaction in the wisdom he's acquired as a hitter at age 27.

"My confidence is the same as 2006," said the lumberjack-like first baseman. "I was just swinging the bat so well in '06, but I'm more consistent now. My approach back then wasn't as good as it is now."

He knew the MVP in '06 came down to how he performed down the stretch.

"You're playing to produce so your team can get into the playoffs and win a World Series," said Morneau. "That's what we're all playing for. If it so happens my season is good enough to be MVP, that would mean it's tied into our team making the postseason."

And while the Twins' ride has been nerve-wracking, Morneau acknowledges, "It's been a lot of fun. There are so many emotional swings. One day you're winning and the White Sox are losing and then the next day it's the other way. It's emotionally tough, but this is what you want as a player - to be in it."

While the preseason consensus was that this would be a rebuilding year without Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, and (for most of the season) Francisco Liriano, it's been far from that.

"I remember one of the first team meetings we had in spring training," recalled Mauer, "was Gardy telling us we're trying to make the playoffs. There was never any talk of well, we're rebuilding and it's going to be tough."

Making waves in talent pool
Use the word "delicate," "strained," or anything else that describes a very uncomfortable situation, and that's what you're hearing about major league teams - including the Red Sox - trying to lure 22-year-old amateur righthander Junichi Tazawa to America.

The Sox appear to be the leading contenders for his services, though it might come down to a tug-of-war between them and the Yankees.

While sources familiar with the agreement between Major League Baseball and the Nippon Professional League indicate there's no provision that precludes a major league team from signing a top amateur player, Japanese officials contend there's always been a "gentleman's agreement" not to steal such talent.

The sides have quietly begun to negotiate a compromise on this issue, but there may be nothing that can appease the Japanese, who already lose their top professional pitchers to the US either through free agency or the posting system. There were meetings last week while officials ironed out plans for their World Baseball Classic next spring, but the sources indicate the talks on amateur players were awkward.

The sources said Tazawa was "very impressed" with Boston's interest and the selling point of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima.

Whether Tazawa could step in and play major league baseball right away is an issue.

Tazawa reportedly sent letters to professional Japanese teams hoping they will not draft him in October, and the teams apparently will respect his wishes. But a major league team such as the Red Sox, Yankees, Diamondbacks, or Braves might move fast and try to sign him even before the draft in late October.

Since there's no precedent for this, the signing bonus could be the equivalent of a first-round draft pick's or perhaps even more.

Scrolling through some items on Craig's list
A few questions for Twins lefthander Craig Breslow, formerly of the Red Sox.

You've cut out quite a niche for yourself in the Twins bullpen (39 appearances, 0-2 with a 1.73 ERA). What's the difference between here and the Red Sox?
CB: "I think it's just opportunity and being in the right place at the right time. Getting consistent work and now having the confidence you can get major league hitters out certainly goes a long way in any success I might have had. I always knew I had the ability, but when you're going up and down you have such a small snapshot to show that you belong."

Is it as simple as being in a small market and getting that chance rather than the pressure-cooker of Boston?
CB: "It's different, there's no doubt about it. Our team here is in the underdog role and we've fed off of that. That's filtered down to all of our players. There was opportunity here for me. There were a lot of young guys in this clubhouse all trying to prove themselves. Everyone seems to have a lot of the same interests and we're in the same boat, so there's a support system here."

You've thrown to Jason Varitek; how does Joe Mauer compare?
CB: "In the few chances I had to throw to Tek, he was incredible in how he understood me and what I liked to throw. He understood the opposing hitters so well. I really enjoyed throwing to him. And I feel the same way about Joe. His raw tools are incredible, some of the best I've seen. Just watching him throw out runners is amazing. He has a great arm. It's just amazing to watch him at the plate with two strikes."

Are you living proof that lefties take a little longer to develop and that teams have to be patient?
CB: "I don't know if it's a case of me being one of those lefties that had to go through the tough times so I could develop or whether I'm simply a better pitcher now than I was because I understand how to pitch to the hitters. I think everyone gets there at their own pace and in their own time, and I have to work hard this offseason and see if I can take my game to the next level. You can't stand still. You have to get better, and anyone who's ever pitched in my role understands that nothing's guaranteed."

Etc.
Touching the bases
Apropos of nothing: 1. Wonder if the Steinbrenners will make Brian Cashman a Joe Torre-type offer-he-can-refuse; 2. Former Red Sox pitcher Wes Gardner was Cliff Lee's American Legion coach; 3. If Brewers owner Mark Attanasio wanted a huge shakeup in Milwaukee, he should have named Gabe Kapler player-manager; 4. Pittsburgh 16, Baltimore 11. No, it's not a Steelers-Ravens score, but the number of consecutive losing seasons for the Pirates and Orioles. The Royals have had 14 losing seasons in the last 15 years; 5. MLB strikeout king: Mark Reynolds or Ryan Howard? They were tied at 192 heading into yesterday.

Agreeing to this was a no-no
The angst of the Astros players and owner Drayton McLane is understandable, but they had to sign off on playing the Cubs last week in Milwaukee. With a host of Cubs fans present, Carlos Zambrano no-hit them, then Ted Lilly beat them, 6-1, with six more no-hit innings. The decision might very well cost the Astros a playoff spot. Many on the Astros side expressed anger about the situation, including McLane. So why did he agree? The games could have been played in Arizona or Minneapolis. "McLane took the best deal," said one National League official. "That's the story."

Formidable foursome
Torre, Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Al Oliver, Vada Pinson, Ron Santo, Luis Tiant, Maury Wills. What a great group of players the Veterans Committee will have to chose from for induction into the Hall of Fame. You can make a case for all of them, but the four that stand out for me: Santo, Torre, Tiant, and Hodges. Voters are allowed to consider all of Torre's career: his .297 career average in 2,209 games (903 as a catcher) and his four World Series championships as a manager. This one seems easy. Santo was one of those players with special intangibles, a great defender at third base with clutch offensive seasons for the Cubs. Tiant was a big-game pitcher with a 229-172 record and a 3.30 ERA. Hodges had seven straight years of 100 or more RBIs for the Brooklyn Dodgers and also led the 1969 Amazin' Mets to the World Series championship as a manager.

Big changes could be brewing
The Brewers might undergo major upheaval if they don't hold on to win the NL Central, according to multiple baseball officials. CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets are likely heading elsewhere as free agents. The Angels and Dodgers may have a tug-of-war for Sabathia, while the Astros, with some heavy lobbying by Roy Oswalt, could land Sheets. There will be no shortage of suitors for shortstop J.J. Hardy, including Detroit and Baltimore. And the biggest shock of all might be the team's willingness to deal Prince Fielder for a starting pitcher.

Express yourself
We may begin to see Nolan Ryan asserting himself as president/CEO of the Rangers in the offseason. The Rangers are one organization that others around baseball don't have a great feel for in terms of their short-term planning. Will they keep GM Jon Daniels and manager Ron Washington in place and continue to build their pitching, which had a major league-high 5.43 ERA going into last night? Or will Ryan jettison the management team in favor of one that better suits his philosophy? "I don't think Nolan is really big on computers and numerical formulas," said an NL official. "I think he's an old-school baseball man at heart."

A Lowe priority
Teams are in the process of formulating hit lists for free agents, and one name atop many of them is Derek Lowe. The Dodgers will likely re-sign him, but if there's any gray area, Lowe will have no shortage of options - his hometown Tigers, the Brewers, Mets, Yankees, Indians, Phillies, well, you name it. "He's not a No. 1 but a No. 3," said an NL GM. "A guy you can always depend on who has never missed time on the DL, who is battle-tested in big games. Yeah, I'd like to be Derek Lowe right about now. The interest in him will drive up the price a bit. It won't be Sabathia money, but teams are going to be asking themselves, 'Who'd you rather have, Ben Sheets or A.J. Burnett, with their history of injuries, or Lowe, who you can pencil in for 15 wins and 30 starts?' "

Jason and the arguments
Jason Bartlett, Evan Longoria, and Carlos Pena are the finalists for Tampa Bay's team MVP award. Why Bartlett? He is hitting .280 and has solidified the defense at shortstop. He also has murdered lefthanded pitching this season, hitting .368, second in the AL. In the nine games he missed after being hit on the finger with a Fernando Rodney fastball, the Rays went 4-5. He has been their most irreplaceable player.

Short hops
From the Bill Chuck files: "The only three pitchers in baseball history with at least 17 wins and less than 160 innings pitched are Elroy Face in 1959, John Hiller in 1974, and Daisuke Matsuzaka this season. Face and Hiller were relievers. Chipper Jones finished with a .313 batting average, 19 homers, and 55 RBIs in 88 games at Shea Stadium. He had so much success there that he named one of his sons Shea. The kid should be happy the success was not in San Diego; otherwise he would be Petco Jones." . . . From Stats Inc: The Angels are 38-20 after a loss, best in the majors . . . Happy birthday (tomorrow) to Lee Graham (49) and Dave Sax (50).

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com