Twins 5, Reds 3

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) --Luis Castillo is swinging a dangerous bat for Minnesota this spring. Even when he's not at the plate.

Castillo went 3-for-4 with an RBI triple Wednesday to raise his spring average to .529, leading the Twins past the Cincinnati Reds 5-3.

Before the game, Castillo was warming up next to the dugout and the doughnut at the end of his bat flew off and hit the right ear of hitting coach Joe Vavra.

"I was trying to blow it off, but the pool of blood was pretty big," Vavra said after getting stitches at the hospital. Vavra was back at the stadium and working with players in the batting cages before the game was over.

Castillo felt awful about what happened.

"I hope he's OK," Castillo said.

He was.

"Is that all you got?" Vavra said, teasing the second baseman when he returned to the clubhouse.

Entering his second year with the Twins, Castillo is 18-for-34 with five RBIs this spring.

"He always seems to set the table," Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He has had some good swings. He looks like he's hurt all the time, so I've learned to just not worry about him. We have an understanding. I write his name in the lineup, and he's pretty much going to show up."

The 31-year-old Castillo, who spent the first eight seasons of his major league career with the Florida Marlins, hit .296 with three home runs and 25 stolen bases last year in 142 games with the Twins.

He has been bothered by a variety of lower-body injuries over the past few seasons, but he's hoping to avoid those in 2007.

"I've been working hard this year," Castillo said. "I'm going to take care of my body. If I stay healthy, I'm going to make something happen."

Reds starter Eric Milton allowed four earned runs and eight hits in five innings.

"Milton didn't come out with his best command," Cincinnati manager Jerry Narron said. "He settled down in later innings."

Reds outfielder Ryan Freel, who has spent much of his career as a spot starter at third base, second base, shortstop and all three of the outfield positions, returned after missing the past nine days due to a strained right hamstring.

Freel, who went 0-for-2 with a walk, has been named the regular center fielder while Ken Griffey Jr. works his way back from a broken left hand. If Griffey is ready for opening day, he will be in right field.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Freel, who hit .271 with eight home runs and 37 stolen bases in 132 games for Cincinnati last season. "I just hope to stay healthy and be out there all 162 games if I can."

Notes:@ The Twins reassigned left-handed reliever Randy Choate to minor league camp and now have 41 players, including 17 pitchers, on the roster. Gardenhire said the team is starting to consider breaking camp with 12 pitchers, partly because Alejandro Machado -- who was a leading candidate to stick as a reserve middle infielder -- is out indefinitely because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder that could require surgery. ... The Reds released pitcher Paul Wilson, who had been competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. Wilson had an 8.10 ERA in two spring starts. ... Michael Cuddyer hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs for the Twins.