Ron Gardenhire will manage his 2,072nd regular-season game tonight, but isn't ready to discuss how many more there will be.
"Nothing's been talked about," the Twins' manager said of the 2015 season, which is covered by the two-year contract he signed last October. "I worry about that stuff when the season's over with."
A report in Sid Hartman's column in Friday's Star Tribune quoted general manager Terry Ryan as saying Gardenhire "is signed for next year, so you don't have to worry about him. ... Yeah, yeah, I would say he'll be back."
Gardenhire said he has not had a conversation about 2015 with Ryan. "I don't pay attention [to media coverage]. I don't worry about it," said Gardenhire, whose 13 seasons as Twins manager make him the second-longest tenured manager, behind Tom Kelly, in franchise history. "I talk to Terry Ryan about it, and we'll talk at the end of the year, as always."
Gardenhire enjoyed eight winning seasons and six AL Central championships in his first nine years as manager, but the Twins have lost 96 or more games for the past three year and appear headed to another sub-.500 season in 2014.
Does the 57-year-old manager want to return for a 14th season? "I'll talk about it at the end of the year," he said. "I'm not going to get into it."
With that, it's back to the on-the-field issues, with the first-place Tigers in town. Tommy Milone makes his third start as a Twin, after a two-inning disappointment in his Target Field debut on Sunday. "I'm sure he wants to get that taste out of his mouth," Gardenhire said of the left-handed starter. "He's anxious to get back on the mound and show what he can do."
Here are the lineups for tonight's 7:10 p.m. game:
TIGERS
Kinsler 2B
Hunter RF
Cabrera 1B
V. Martinez DH
J.D. Martinez LF
Castellanos 3B
Suarez SS
Holaday C
Davis CF
Ray LHP
TWINS
Santana CF
Dozier 2B
Mauer 1B
Vargas DH
Arcia RF
Plouffe 3B
Suzuki C
Escobar SS
Schafer LF
Milone LHP
