Nice catch

TAMPA, Fla. -- Jason Kubel just showed that his knees are feeling pretty good, making a highlight-reel diving catch of Robinson Cano's line shot to left field in the third inning. Kubel is slotted to be the DH this season, but the Twins still view him as their future everyday left fielder.

More nuggets:

• Gardy says Torii is day-to-day after he bent back his left thumbnail while sliding into base during Wednesday's game. Torii told the Pioneer Press the minor injury will not hold him back. He's not playing today because he wasn't scheduled to.

• What little shot 1B/DH Ken Harvey had of making the team took a big hit Wednesday night. Gardy reports that Harvey pulled a chest muscle while swinging the bat in the G'fruit League opener and could be out 3-5 days or longer.

• News flash: Anna Nicole Smith died.

• Few faint boos -- and I stress faint -- from the Legends Field crowd when MVP came to bat for the first time in the second inning. Still three people bitter about little market guy beating out Jeter.

Ugh

TAMPA, Fla. -- This could be a long year.

Silva just gave up a two-out, two-run shot to Giambi. 5-0, Bombers. Inning over. That's it for Silva. Forty-two pitches! No World Baseball Classic to blame now.

I suspect Silva won't be happy when the scribes pepper him with questions here in a little bit.

I know, it's two innings. Don't overreact. But these are the same things we watched all last season. No sink on the sinker.

It's been noted a time or two in your trusty St. Paul paper that Silva is the X-factor. He has a good year, Twins challenge for the division title again. He stinks, Twins finish third -- possibly fourth.

Same stuff, different year

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's just one inning, but the 2007 Carlos Silva looks like a spitting image of the 2006 Carlos Silva.

Lousy.

Silva's 26-pitch inning mercifully just ended, with the Yankees leading 3-0. The damage: Johnny Damon leadoff homer to right-center. Two walks. Hit batsman. Jorge Posada RBI single.

Looks like the sinker needs more refining. A lot more.