Notes from the weekend

Joe Mauer had three hits and two RBIs Sunday.

There are times when players wish they could just play the games without the annoying fans and reporters.

This is, of course, a silly notion, but there are times when I understand. One such was Sunday, when Joe Mauer, catching with a wonky hamstring and a bruised quad, got booed by the Target Field fans for holding at first on a ball he hit to the wall.

He got ripped last year for not playing when hurt. He gets booed for playing when hurt.

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A rough homestand ended on a positive note Sunday, but not before a four-game losing streak.

One positive to the losing streak: The "m" logo caps returned to the shelf after the first three losses. The "TC" caps are back.

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Jeff Gray didn't get the decision in Sunday's win, but in many ways he was the hero for the Twins. The beleaguered reliever threw three shutout innings as the game dragged on.

Gray's grip on his roster spot has been growing shaky of late. On May 19 his ERA was 2.00; then he had a no-outs, five-runs disaster, and his ERA hasn't been south of 4.15 since. He came into Sunday's game having allowed six runs in his four outings in June.

But on Sunday, with Matt Capps sidelined with a sore shoulder and with Jeff Manship and Anthony Swarzak theoretically unavailable due to long stints in recent days, Gray threw 54 pitches and lowered his ERA from 5.13 to 4.60.