Gardenhire's family OK after tornado

ATLANTA -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, an Okmulgee, Okla., native, said his family was unaffected by Monday's tornado that hit the Oklahoma City suburbs and took the lives of at least 24 people.

Gardenhire said his family lives closer to Tulsa and that they came out of the tornado fine, but he was saddened by the events of the devastating tornado.

"My family is about 25 miles south of Tulsa, which is about an hour or hour and half from OKC," Gardenhire said. "They've been in the storm cellar for two days. Luckily nothing happened. They're OK. But it's sad stuff."

Right-hander Nick Blackburn, who is currently rehabbing his surgically repaired right wrist, is a Del City, Okla., native and was back home in Washington, Okla., with his family when the tornado hit. But he was unaffected by the twister, as it hit north of where he lives.

"He's still in Oklahoma but wasn't affected at all," Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said.