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A few quick items from down south…

• Brennan Boesch told reporters that he should have said something about his rib cage ^[3]before he got on the bus, which indicates the ride itself didn’t cause the soreness. He is apparently optimistic that this is a short-term problem. ^[4]

• The Yankees beat the Twins 9-7, winning despite Ivan Nova’s shaky outing. Through 5.1 innings, Nova allowed five runs — four earned — one seven hits and a walk. He struck out three and gave up two home runs, back-to-back solo shots by Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit. Probably goes without saying, but Nova wasn’t happy with the outing. ^[5]

• Still making his case for a roster spot, Ronnier Mustelier went 3-for-4 with two RBI. One of his hits was a double, and his spring batting average is back up to .313.

• Also making a case for the roster is outfielder Ben Francisco, who had the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning. Just guessing, but he would be my pick as the front runner for that right-handed outfield spot.

• This spring might have been a prime opportunity for Dan Johnson, but he went 0-for-1 with an error this afternoon. He’s now hitting just .063 with four errors.

• Jim Miller pitched 1.2 innings, allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout. … Eduardo Nunez had two hits and his third stolen base of the spring. … Corban Joseph had a double and a triple after sliding into the lineup in the wake of the Boesch injury. … Thomas Neal had two hits today including his third double of the spring. … Juan Rivera, Chris Stewart, Melky Mesa and Robinson Cano had a hit apiece. Cano had two RBI. Mesa made an error in center field.

Associated Press photo