Middle infield rests in midst of tough stretch

CLEVELAND -- The Twins rested both of their starting middle infielders on Sunday, as second baseman Brian Dozier and shortstop Pedro Florimon were held out of the starting lineup.

Jamey Carroll got the start at second base and batted leadoff, while Eduardo Escobar started at shortstop and hit ninth in the series finale against Cleveland.

"We just mix it around a little bit and try different things," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We have Esco out there at shortstop. I have a lot of confidence in those guys. But I just wanna give everyone a chance to play. We have a few ballgames here in a way, so everyone needs to play. And Jamey has played well the last couple times out."

As Gardenhire pointed out, the Twins are in the midst of a 13-day stretch without an off-day, so he said he'll be mixing in his backups more often. The Twins are next off on May 16.