FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins saw a different Homer Bailey in the second half of the 2019 season, and that's what motivated them to sign the veteran right-hander to a one-year contract. Just don't expect to see that changed version of Bailey on the field yet.

"At this point, not even at all," Bailey said. "You're not near season-ready. At least, I'm not. You can kind of try, but right now, I like to go from the middle of the zone to out. The last thing I want is to go out there and start walking two or three guys in an inning. Be in the zone and gradually start working out."

Bailey made his Twins debut in Friday's 4-1 victory over the Red Sox at Hammond Stadium, allowing two hits and striking out two batters in two innings. His second inning was much more efficient than his first, and he finished having thrown 17 of his 26 pitches for strikes.

He said after his outing that he was just trying to feel comfortable on the mound again and wanted to work with catcher Mitch Garver for the first time. Bailey isn’t sure how long he expects it to take before he feels comfortable with his pitches.

"Sometimes I don't even have feel for them in the middle of the season, so it just takes reps," Bailey joked.

Once Bailey does get to where he's more faithfully replicating his regular-season approach, he still may not appear to the naked eye to be doing anything different. Pitching coach Wes Johnson said earlier this offseason that Bailey’s adjustments, which helped the right-hander rebound from a 6.09 ERA in 2018 to a 4.30 ERA in 13 starts with the A's at the end of last season, have more to do with situational usages of various pitches.

"His pitch usage wasn't so much that he went from throwing 70 percent fastballs and 30 percent breaking balls and then all of a sudden he goes 50-50," Johnson said. "It's when he was using it, which is something I'm really big on."

Twins turn three ... or did they?
The Twins are making such a habit of turning triple plays that even prospects from the lower levels of the Minors are getting in on the fun.

They pulled off the feat twice last summer -- once in late July, once in early August -- and this time, the club's third triple play in just over seven months came courtesy of Wander Javier, Yunior Severino and Tomás Telis.

With Marcus Wilson on second base and Jeter Downs on first for the Red Sox in the top of the eighth, Boston center fielder Tate Matheny lined a pitch right back up the middle, where pitcher Charlie Barnes snared the line drive. He flipped to second base, where Severino appeared to double off Wilson before throwing to first base to complete the triple play.

But it wasn't so simple. Second-base umpire Tim Timmons ruled that Severino wasn't in contact with the bag before the throw, so Telis had to throw the ball back to second base, where Javier tagged the runner to complete the triple play. In another twist, Javier actually appeared to tag the wrong runner -- the one already out between first and second, and not the lead runner -- but nobody seemed to contest the matter. Even manager Rocco Baldelli was confused after the game.

Whatever the case, it officially went 1-4-3-6 in the scorebook. Case closed.

"Those are always fun," Baldelli said. "We had a couple of them last year. If we could sign up for a couple of those this season, we'll take them."

Twins regulars on the mend; Polanco, Gonzalez expected back within the week
Max Kepler saw the field for the first time this spring when he started in right field and went 0-for-2 as the leadoff hitter in Baldelli's starting lineup against the Red Sox. Even against a left-handed starter in Boston's Kyle Hart, Kepler bumped the contact-oriented Luis Arraez down into the six-hole.

Kepler had missed the start of spring play with some mild shoulder soreness, which Baldelli said was unrelated to the left rhomboid strain that limited the outfielder for much of the second half last season.

In continued signs of encouraging injury progress, Baldelli said Friday that he expects both Marwin Gonzalez and Jorge Polanco to play in multiple games within the next week. Gonzalez is recovering from a minor procedure on his right knee during the offseason, while Polanco is on the mend from arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle.

Kirilloff goes deep during month to remember
If Alex Kirilloff is up late changing diapers these days, his hitting hasn't suffered at all because of it.

Ranked the Twins' No. 2 prospect in MLB Pipeline's newly released 2020 rankings, Kirilloff got a late start to spring game action because his wife, Jordan, gave birth to the couple's first child, Penelope, last Thursday. He finally made his first start Wednesday in a 1-for-2 performance, and he picked back up with a long homer to right-center field in the seventh inning of Friday's game.

Overall, Kirilloff went 2-for-2 with the homer, a single and two runs scored.

"It's been really good," Kirilloff said. "Words really can't describe the feeling of being a dad. It's hard, but I'm just happy that everyone's healthy and it's going well so far."

Up next
Derek Shelton and Baldelli will reunite for the second time this spring when the Pirates visit Hammond Stadium for a 5:05 p.m. CT night game Saturday, meaning there could be pranks and mischief afoot on both sides. José Berríos will make his second start of the spring and will be followed by Sergio Romo, Tyler Clippard and Taylor Rogers, among other pitchers. Derek Holland will start for Pittsburgh. The game, which will be broadcast on the Treasure Island Baseball Network, can be streamed on Gameday Audio.