"Joe Nathan pitched a perfect inning during the Twins' 10-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday and said that, so far, he couldn't be more pleased with his recovery process. It was Nathan's third outing of the spring. Things have gone so well, he said, that he feels as if he's ready to throw on back-to-back days. "After my first outing there was a little bit of soreness," Nathan said. "After the second outing I felt great. I told (pitching coach Rick Anderson) that I could have thrown the next day after that second outing. And here's my third. I'm expecting to come in and feel great." Nathan said that if all goes well the progression would be for him to throw two days in a row - once in a game and the next day on the side — then pitch in every other game before finally pitching in back-to-back games. "My goals for myself prob-ably are higher than what other people expect from me," he said. "So far, I've met those expectations." The only pitch Nathan didn't throw against St. Louis was his slider. That's because, he said, he's still building arm strength, "But usually it's the second half of the spring that pitch starts to click," he said. Nathan and Carlos Gutierrez pitched well in relief against the Cardinals. Starter Scott Baker gave up one run over three innings and also looked good. Jose Mijares, Glen Perkins and Eric Hacker had tough outings. Luke Hughes and Rene Rivera each had two of the Twins' eight hits. " Read more: http://www.twincities.com/twins/ci_17560528?nclick_check=1
