"With Jeff Manship dispatched to Rochester and Kevin Slowey on the disabled list, manager Ron Gardenhire had no clear answer for long relief in the Twins' bullpen.

He says he will continue to use former starter Glen Perkins in late-inning situations, and that led the Twins to send Alex Burnett back to Rochester after Monday's game and call up right-hander Eric Hacker to take over long-relief duties.

For now, Gardenhire's bullpen roles beyond Matt Capps as closer are unsettled, and the manager said he'll bridge the gap from starter to Capps based on matchups.

When discussing Joe Nathan's move out of the closer role Sunday, Gardenhire said he wanted to keep Nathan out of setup situations as well. On Monday, the manager softened that stance, saying that if Nathan is the team's best option in an eighth-inning situation, he would use the right-hander.

"We'll just do whatever we have to do to win a game," Gardenhire said. "If we get there and need to get a right-handed hitter out or something and he's our best choice to get that guy out, then just go stick him in it. He's been there before; he's not going to blow up because of the pressure."

The Twins also called up Jim Hoey after Sunday's game with the express purpose of using the hard-throwing right-hander acquired from Baltimore in the J.J. Hardy trade in late innings. The Twins sent Hoey to minor league camp toward the end of spring training with an edict to improve his secondary pitches, and Gardenhire said he is pleased with the reports he got about Hoey's progress.

Perkins pitched the eighth inning in Sunday's 4-2 win over Tampa Bay. The lefty has not given up a run in seven appearances and 7 2/3 innings this season. Gardenhire said the difference this year for Perkins, a 28-year-old who's had his share of ups and downs with the organization on the mound and off, is acceptance.

"He's comfortable, and I think he understands a lot more about everything, and I think he'll tell you that," Gardenhire said. "He's had to learn to handle a lot of different situations, and I think he's there. I think he handles it pretty well. Now he knows his role, accepts it and goes with it." "