The Twins' beleaguered bullpen got a much needed rest Monday. Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune is looking ahead to the Twins' upcoming monster trip that will taken them an estimated 6,234 miles to Anaheim, Seattle, Oakland, Toronto and back to the Twin Cities. They will be on the road for 15 nights and play 14 games on their longest trip since 1969, when the Twins were gone for 17 days and played 15 games.

The Tigers have gently turned their attention to next season, and it looks as if Armando Galarraga has secured a spot in Jim Leyland's 2009 rotation.

Rangers All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler suffered a potential sseason-ending injury, which is bad news for him, but something that only enhances Carlos Quentin's growing chances of winning the American League MVP Award.

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune calls the Twins' loss in Kansas City on Sunday their worst of the season. The Twins return home to open a series against the Yankees. The Twins are 39-21 at home, but just like the White Sox, have looked like a different team on the road, going 3-3 on a trip to Seattle and Kansas City, facing two teams they should have handled with ease.

The Tigers better brace for turmoil. Gary Sheffield is now complaining about his role as designated hitter. This is the last thing manager Jim Leyland needs with his team barely hanging onto the fringes of the AL Central race. The Tigers still have plenty of interest in former White Sox right-hander Freddy Garcia. Have to believe that if Garcia really had anything left, the White Sox -- pushed by his good friend Ozzie Guillen -- would make a stronger push for Big Game Freddy.

Royals pitcher Zack Greinke dropped his appeal of a five-game suspension for hitting the White Sox' Nick Swisher and began serving it Sunday.

On a routine grounder to first baseman Nick Swisher that should have ended the second inning, Contreras was running from the mound to the bag, outdistancing the Boston Red Sox' Jacoby Ellsbury. Once Contreras went from the infield grass to the patch of dirt near first base, he began to lose his balance and stumbled to the ground as Swisher's throw skipped off his glove.

Contreras' momentum took him down the first-base line, where he rolled over in obvious pain, clutching the ankle.

The location issues that raised red flags over Contreras' aching right elbow -- an injury he originally kept from the White Sox -- appeared to be in the past before his mishap at first base. Of the right-hander's 34 pitches, 21 were strikes. He got ahead of leadoff hitter J.D. Drew 0-2 in the first inning with two 94 mph fastballs before fanning him -- looking -- with a 79 mph changeup.

Right-hander D.J. Carrasco replaced Contreras in the second inning.

Contreras, 36, is 7-6 with a 4.54 ERA.

The Twins' stay in first place didn't last long after they blew a six-run lead against the lowly Mariners. The Twins are hoping to get outfielder Michael Cuddyer and infielder Alexi Casilla back from injuries by next week. The Twins need any boost they can get after starting a stretch Monday that calls for 20 of their next 29 games to be on the road.

The thinking by most contenders is that it will take 90 victories to win the Central. That means the Tigers, who open a three-game series against the White Sox on the South Side tonight, must go 35-16 -- a .686 pace -- the rest of the way. Raise your hand if you think this mediocre team has a chance. Former Chicagoan Curtis Granderson is among many Tigers who grew up idolizing Ken Griffey Jr., the newest member of the White Sox.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox open a key four-game series against the White Sox on Friday and the status of slugger David Ortiz is in question after he felt a click in his wrist Monday.

This is where the Twins sit today: ''We have a chance now for first place and we'll see what happens,'' first baseman Justin Morneau said. ''It's just as big, and it seems like every game the rest of the way on is going to be do or die. And that's the way you want to play.'' As good as they feel about winning four straight -- including the first two of their showdown four-game series with the White Sox -- the Twins are feeling the pain of losing second baseman Alexi Casilla, probably for the rest of the season.

The Tigers acquired Armando Galarraga in February from the Rangers for minor-league first baseman Michael Hernandez, who didn't last long in that organization. For all of the splashy offseason moves made by the Tigers, one of the best that flew under the radar was the deal that landed Galarraga, who improved to 9-4.

Meanwhile, look for the Rays to be very active before the deadline Thursday. They have put the Pirates' Jason Bay at the top of their long wish list.

1. First of all, if you are a Minnesota female sports fan, you will undoubtedly go to the event with your significant other and get looks. See, there is a serious problem in the Twin Cities called "Out Kicked Your Coverage Syndrome.'' For some reason, Minneapolis is one of those few cities where the women are far superior looking to the males, hence making the selection pool very one-sided. Every couple you see at a sporting event will fit this description: good-looking woman and man that looks like either Larry, Darryl or Darryl from the Bob Newhart Show. Just a fact.

2. Minnesota sports fan will spend all day before the event doing the "Lou Holtz.'' That means downplaying their team to the point where it sounds like they have no chance to win. What this does is set them up for a win-win situation. If they lose, "See, I told you, we're just a small-market team.'' If they win, "Yeah, eat that you big-city folk!''

3. Lay in the weeds until a division title is locked in. See, Minnesotans don't like to talk trash ... until after the fact. They downplay, downplay, downplay, then strike.

4. Finally, have a lot of outdoor hobbies. Yes, their little-engine-that-could teams are built to reach the postseason, but then fade out quicker than you can say, "Surrender Morneau, you're Canadian!'' Or as Mark Buehrle put it years ago - "one and done.'' That's why Minnesotans always have a Plan B hobby - because they need it.

Though the Twins don't look to be primed for a splashy trade this week, a shakeup appears to be looming. The Twins have discussed promoting left-hander Francisco Liriano -- the former All-Star -- from Class AA, and using him out of the bullpen. The Twins play 33 of their reamaining 61 games on the road. This is not good news for a team that is 21-27 outside of the Metrodome.

The Tigers have won four straight and are three games over .500 -- their high-water mark of the season -- entering a key weekend series in Detroit against the White Sox. Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free-Press does the math for us: The Tigers trail the Sox by 5 1/2 games, so a Tigers sweep makes it 2 1/2 and a Sox sweep makes it 8 1/2. Lynn Henning of the Detroit News examines the Tigers' three big deals for National Leaguers in the offseason -- the acquisitions of Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis and Edgar Renteria -- and the results haven't been pretty.

Tigers manager Jim Leyland puts the state of the Central in simple terms: ''We've got to hit a couple winning streaks and [the White Sox have] got to hit a couple bumps in the road.''

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire finally made the move he was hoping to avoid, dumping speedy Carlos Gomez from the leadoff spot. Meanwhile, Francisco Liriano continues to make a strong case that he belongs in the Twins' rotation, pitching seven scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out 10 for Class AAA Rochester in a 13-0 victory over Toledo. ''I'm ready,'' the 24-year-old said after the game.

The White Sox open a three-game series in Detroit on Friday and Tigers manager Jim Leyland is trying to decide whether to keep a struggling Edgar Renteria at short or Ramon Santiago.

As Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal points out, here is what the Indians might be missing if Casey Blake is allowed via free agency: He is third in the club in runs (45) and homers (11); second in doubles (23), walks (33) and on-base percentage (.363) and first in RBI (58), batting average -- players with more than .250 at-bats -- (.287) and in average with runners in scoring position (.402).

Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free-Press notes that, unlike in recent seasons, it's tough to get a read on what the Tigers will do this year before the July 31 non-waivers trade deadline. Tigers manager Jim Leyland expects slugger Magglio Ordonez back in his lineup tonight. Matt Joyce replaced Ordonez in the lineup Monday and continued to thrive.

Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes that the Twins are probably faster now than they were at the beginning of the season with the addition of Denard Span in right field, but are stealing fewer bases. The Twins got some updates Monday on a few injured players, and the news is most promising for Justin Morneau and Nick Punto.

Don't look for the rebuilding Indians to be big spenders in the free-agent market next offseason.

Meanwhile, Darryl Strawberry has returned to the Twin Cities to help others.

Major League Baseball insists there is no conspiracy, but once again, the Tigers will emerge from the All-Star break a day earlier than most — including the White Sox and Twins. ‘‘That doesn't make sense to me,’’ Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. ‘‘We should all [have four-day breaks] or nobody should and you can quote me in big, bold print. I want everyone to write it and put it all over the airwaves. It's a joke. It's garbage. Silly is what it is.’’ Meanwhile, it's looking likely that for the second consecutive year, the Tigers will not make a significant acquisition before the July 31 non-waivers trade deadline. ‘‘Right now, we feel pretty good,’’ general manager Dave Dombrowski said.

After his 5-for-5 performance, Twins first baseman Justin Morneau is putting together another MVP-caliber season, writes Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Meanwhile, fellow Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan stresses how smart the small-market Twins were for locking up closer Joe Nathan before the season.

In the wake of the CC Sabathia trade, Indians manager Eric Wedge held a team meeting. His message was murky. ‘‘I don't think anything else is going to happen, but it might,’’ Wedge said. ‘‘I can't let [possible future trades] hang over us. I understand, because it was CC, but now that's done and we have to play baseball.’’

Check back later for updates.