Dozier, Plouffe get a break in finale

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins gave second baseman Brian Dozier and third baseman Trevor Plouffe a rest in the series finale against the White Sox on Wednesday afternoon.

Jamey Carroll made the start at second base and batted leadoff in Dozier's place, while Eduardo Escobar started at third base and hit ninth against his former team. Escobar, along with left-hander Pedro Hernandez, was acquired in the trade that sent to Francisco Liriano to the White Sox before last year's non-waiver Trade Deadline. Escobar connected on his second home run of the season in his first at-bat.

Dozier, who turned 26 on Wednesday, has been scuffling recently, hitting just .115 (3-for-26) with no walks over his past six starts. He's hitting .256 with a .280 on-base percentage in 18 games since moving to the leadoff spot in mid-April, and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he wants to see a bit more production from Dozier in the leadoff spot.

"He is trying to keep the ball out of the air," Gardenhire said. "He's definitely trying to do that, but it has to happen on the field more than anything else. He just has to go out there and figure out a way to cover the ball a little bit more."