TWINS REPORT: Mauer expected back Wednesday

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twins catcher Joe Mauer is expected to be activated from the disabled list Wednesday and be in the Twins' lineup for the first time since he injured his knee in the second game of the season.

Mauer, who caught all nine innings and had two hits in a Class AAA game Saturday night, fared well enough to be scheduled to catch back-to-back games today and Tuesday in anticipation of his return from the DL. He batted as the designated hitter in Sunday's game for Rochester.

Manager Ron Gardenhire said that although the team is carrying an extra pitcher, he plans to send out a position player to make room for Mauer.

Lohse wins tough one: Twins starting pitcher Kyle Lohse got his best run support in six weeks and needed most of it to snap his seven-start winless streak Sunday at Kauffman Stadium. Lohse (2-4) labored through a five-inning start that took 94 pitches to get through, but the Twins gave him a 6-0 lead for a life preserver.

"A win was nice. It's been a while," said Lohse, who had 12 runs of support while he was on the mound in his previous seven starts. He won for the first time since April 17. "I'll take that out of it."

Briefly: Twins closer Joe Nathan's no-hit streak ended in the ninth inning Sunday when he gave up a one-out single to Tony Graffanino, the first hit against him since May 7. Opponents were 0 for 26 against him in between.

Third baseman Corey Koskie, whose sore hamstring kept him out of Saturday's lineup, returned Sunday and had two hits and a walk, including a two-run single in the Twins' five-run fourth inning.

Because Gardenhire rested shortstop Cristian Guzman on Sunday, infielder Alex Prieto started at his third position in five days, also starting at third base Saturday and second base Wednesday at Tampa Bay. He also hit his first major league home run Sunday.

Left fielder Shannon Stewart learned over the weekend that the injury to his right foot might require more time on the disabled list than originally thought. That could mean his return would be pushed back into July.