Twins' Joe Mauer: Laboring at plate

Mauer, who is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader, has been laboring at the plate lately, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. "It looks laborious for him to swing right now so trying to make the right decisions on how much to play him and when," manager Paul Molitor said.

Analysis:

Game 1 on Thursday will mark the fourth straight game that Mauer has been out of the lineup, and it sounds like he could be give a fair amount of days off down the stretch. Kennys Vargas continues to start at first base in his stead.