In first start behind dish, Fryer gets familiar 'mate

CHICAGO -- Catcher Eric Fryer made his first start with the Twins on Wednesday since being called up from Triple-A Rochester on Sept. 9, catching former Red Wings teammate Scott Diamond.

Prior to getting the nod for the series finale against the White Sox, Fryer had made three plate appearances in two games, homering on Sept. 11 against Oakland.

"It's exciting," Fryer said. "I get to catch Scott; I've caught him down in Triple-A, so I'm familiar with him. I'm looking forward to getting out there and getting behind the plate."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he was looking forward to seeing Fryer behind the plate.

"I'm excited [to play him]," Gardenhire said. "I talked to Scotty earlier about how they worked together down [at Triple-A], and I thought this would be a good game to let those two go together. I wanted to get this kid a chance to catch. He works his tail off and has done everything we've asked and had a good year at Triple-A. So this would be a nice time to get him out there."