Errant fielding by Twins' Delmon Young could be sign of weary legs

No one has ever accused Delmon Young of being a Gold Glove outfielder, and, really, that's not why he's here. Manager Ron Gardenhire puts Young in left field every night because he's hitting .316 and has driven in a team-high 84 runs.
But Young's defense seems to be getting worse, a troubling sign for a nfl throwback jerseys
team trying to fend off Chicago in the American League Central. Manager Ron Gardenhire said Young might be tired. He played his 107th game Saturday after playing only 108 last season.
"He's fine. He has been playing great," Gardenhire said. "He has been playing a lot. I'm worried that he's a little tired because he's been playing every day. It's not easy plays (he has been missing) out there -- sliding, diving plays. Like I said, I'm more worried that he might be getting a little worn down."
Young has only four errors, but that doesn't tell the whole story. It has been an adventure in left, and he has had a particularly tough 10 days.
During a 2-1 win Aug. 5 at Tampa Bay -- a game Young won with a 13th-inning single -- he misplayed a blooper into a double in the ninth when he charged it, missed and kicked the ball to second base, leading to a blown save.
During a three-game series in Chicago on Aug. 10-12, Young gave Paul Konerko an extra base on a long single by airmailing the throw past second in a 12-6 victory and nearly made a nice sliding play on a liner only to have it bounce out of his glove in a 6-1 victory.
In Friday's 4-3 victory over Oakland, Young played Jack Cust's long fly to the track into a run-scoring double in the third inning, then missed a sinking liner by Kurt Suzuki in the seventh and put him on second, as the tying run, by trying to throw out Coco Crisp at third.
"Throwing the ball to the wrong base and letting the tying run get to second, that bothered me more than missing the play," Gardenhire said. "Those are the things; you get up and throw the ball to the right base, and those are things you can't miss. You keep the double play in order, and he had no chance at third base. And those are the biggest problems."
None of the plays cost the Twins a victory, but as the playoff race winds down, each play gets magnified, and the Twins have little room for error as they battle neck-and-neck with the Chicago White Sox. It's a difficult position for Gardenhire, who needs Young's bat but also needs solid defensive play, especially as the bullpen starts a Saints jersey
month without its best lefty, Jose Mijares (knee).
"Maybe (I need to) give him a day here and there and see what we can do to help him out, because he was playing great defense here for a while," the manager said. "He has had some rough outings the last couple of times, the last two or three games, but it hasn't been easy plays."
Young declined an interview request. He was perfect in the field in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Oakland, and went 0 for 3 at the plate. In his past 10 games he's hitting .204 (9 for 44) with three runs batted in.
First-base coach Jerry White, a former major league outfielder with Montreal and St. Louis, said he isn't worried about Young's defense. "Maybe that's because I was an outfielder, and I know what he goes through," he said.
If he saw a red flag, White added, he'd say something to the manager, and that hasn't happened.
"He does OK," Gardenhire said. "There are a lot of balls hit out there, and he plays every night. Like I said, I'm more worried about that I (might be) wearing him down, his legs. We're going to have to guard against that and give him a break possibly. Maybe tomorrow."
Briefly: Joe Mauer usually DH's on Sundays after a night game, but Gardenhire said Mauer might catch today in the series finale against the A's.
"We'll see how we go. It's a possibility he could play," he said. "He DH'd (Friday) night, and we'll just see how he feels. I'll talk with him in the morning."
J.J Hardy (left wrist) was available Saturday night, but Gardenhire wants San Diego Chargers jersey
to give him the entire series off, then see if he can play against Chicago. Hitting has been the biggest irritant. "I'm just trying to give him as many days as I can," Gardenhire said.
Gardenhire said Nick Punto (hamstring) likely will be activated from the disabled list in time for Tuesday's game against the White Sox at Target Field.