After holding a .500 pace through the early part of the season, the Twins find themselves returning to last year’s toils of poor starting pitching and a lineup held back by slumping players.
The team has now fallen to 18-23 after losing six in a row, and entering a time of year in which Terry Ryan has traditionally begun to make major changes.
A wealth of options exist for the #5 starter, and it appears that the team will turn to their third option after less than two months of the season. Liam Hendriks, 24, pitched mediocre to start the year, as did Pedro Henandez, 24, his replacement. Hendriks has yet to challenge major league hitters consistently, while Henandez may lack the “out pitch” needed for continued success at a high level.
One bright spot is that there are options in the system, unlike last year. Caleb Thielbar, 26, was called up to bolster the bullpen for the short-term, and looked fantastic in his big league debut. The Minnesota-born lefthander looked a lot like Glen Perkins, embarrassing several Atlanta Braves over two scoreless innings on May 20. Like Perkins, he features a smooth delivery, hard 93-mph fastball, and a nasty breaking pitch. While the bullpen has been solid for the Twins this season, it may be hard for the team to send down such a promising talent.
Most likely though, Thielbar will be sent down for a starting pitcher once the #5 spot in the rotation comes around. After pitching two dominant shutouts already this season in AAA, it will likely be Kyle Gibson, finally fully recovered from 2011 Tommy John surgery.
Gibson is a sinker-slider pitcher expected to be a big part of the Twins future starting rotation, but has yet to make his big-league debut. The team may also opt to go for a more experienced hand in P.J. Walters, 28, a more experienced but less talented pitcher with almost identical numbers to Gibson in Rochester.
Kyle Gibson: 9 starts, 3.25 ERA, 52.2 IP, 46 hits, 14 BB, 46 SO
P.J. Walters: 9 starts, 3.31 ERA, 54.1 IP, 55 hits, 16 BB, 46 SO
Samuel Deduno, 29. also has a 2.70 ERA in his first three AAA starts since coming off the disabled list, and pitched well for the Twins in 2012. He throws one of the best curveballs in baseball, but may be a long-spot due to his high pitch counts and inability to pitch deep into games. Expect him to reach the rotation whenever the Twins bullpen is less taxed and able to absorb his 5-6 inning starts.
It’s also hard not to notice long-spot option, Andrew Albers, 27, a lefthander who has a sparkling 2.34 ERA in eight starts. Albers has never been a top-flight prospect, but his success to start the season is sure to open some eyes. He would also add a different look to the rotation, that could use another lefty to compliment Scott Diamond.
Even though the other four starting pitchers have struggled, don’t expect the core to change until at least mid-season. Mike Pelfrey is the most vulnerable, with a 6.57 ERA and .339 opponents’ batting average over eight starts, but his fastball in now reaching the mid-90s and he will be given some slack after returning very early from Tommy John surgery just a year ago.
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