BY Pioneer Press

Carlos Gomez went 0 for 5 yet managed to get a standing ovation Sunday.

The cheering came after the Twins' center fielder made a spectacular diving catch in the ninth inning of a 2-1 win over Cleveland in 10 innings.

"He closed on that ball, reminded me a lot of (former Minnesota center fielder) Torii (Hunter)," said Justin Morneau, who, as the Twins' designated hitter, watched the play from the dugout. "You look out there and you think, man, that ball is going to fall, and then all of the sudden he comes out of nowhere, and he held on to it. That was huge."

Huge because it came in a sticky ninth inning and stopped Cleveland from scoring what would have been the go-ahead run.

The 27,703 at the Metrodome erupted after the catch, continued cheering for several seconds, and finally, gradually, stood. Call the ovation, which Gomez certainly noticed, an acknowledgment of acceptance.

"I hear," Gomez said. "It's unbelievable because the last center fielder here is the best, and (if) somebody thinks I'm try to replace Torii, I don't try to replace nobody."

Buscher in at third: Twins manager Ron Gardenhire started Brian Buscher, called up from Class AAA Rochester on Saturday when shortstop Adam Everett went on the 15-day disabled list, at third base and moved Mike Lamb to first.

That meant Morneau got his first day off of the season. Granted, a day off for Morneau still meant he was in the lineup as the DH. Morneau wanted a day off from

defense, Gardenhire said, because the Metrodome turf was beginning to wear on his back.

Buscher started playing first base in spring training and played the position a few times for the Red Wings this season. Still, Gardenhire and Buscher agree third base is a more natural position for the 26-year-old.

For the first couple of weeks in spring training, Gardenhire couldn't say enough good things about Buscher's preparation, how hard he had worked on his defense and how good he looked at the plate. As camp wore on, though, Buscher's bat cooled considerably, and ultimately the Twins decided Matt Tolbert, with his middle infield and outfield abilities, was the better option.

"It was really tough because I said early in camp Buscher really came in on a mission," Gardenhire said. "It got down to, you know, he was kind of limited to first and third. ... We were looking more for versatility off the bench, being able to pinch-run and all those things. Tolbert was more suited for that kind of stuff."

Buscher went to Rochester and rediscovered his early camp groove. In 15 games with the Red Wings he batted .345 with two doubles, four home runs and 11 runs batted in.

"I guess I got into a routine, got consistent with things, and it worked out at the plate for me," said Buscher, who went 1 for 4 with a double Sunday. "Knowing you're getting four (at-bats) instead of two, it's a little less pressure on you."

Briefly: After blowing leads in consecutive games in Detroit last week, Minnesota's bullpen was back to its stingy ways during the homestand, allowing one run (a solo homer surrendered by Juan Rincon) over 16 1/3 innings in five games against Tampa Bay and Cleveland.

Tolbert's sore foot had healed enough for Gardenhire to consider putting him in the lineup Sunday, and the manager thought about playing him at either shortstop or second base. Ultimately, Nick Punto earned a second straight start at shortstop because of his defensive heroics Saturday, and Brendan Harris started at second for the same reason.

After Morneau's walk-off single, Gardenhire said left fielder Delmon Young, who bats after Morneau, joked, "They're afraid to walk Mornie and pitch to me."

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