Ready for Hughes to Pen

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I was out last night, but every time I looked up at a teevee there was a hard hit ball to the outfield somewhere and an outfielder breaking his neck to make a catch. I do agree with chief, too. One run in six innings is nothing to scoff at. As long as we have our best outfielders out there we can probably limp along with Hughes for a time.

[stringer bell]

He wasn't good in the first, but after that he was very good. The fastball was 90-91 and didn't look like it had much movement on it, but he placed it well and mixed in his other pitches very well. A ton of balls were hit in the air and I think Hughes actually was unlucky on balls hit on the ground. Not a guarantee that Hughes will be effective going forward, but nothing to say he can't be a competent starter.

[KirbyDome89]

Limited the damage = was in trouble and/or gave up hard hit balls but the end results don't reflect it

 

You can do that for a game but not an entire season. The 4-0 start is great but the way Hughes looked last night didn't do anything to alleviate any of the concerns I had about him to start the season.   

[Doomtints]

Hughes looked better than last year but certainly not like he looked in 2014. 

 

I echo the sentiment that what he is doing won't work once the weather gets warmer. But he also has time to adjust.

[bluechipper]

 

Hughes looked better than last year but certainly not like he looked in 2014. 

 

I echo the sentiment that what he is doing won't work once the weather gets warmer. But he also has time to adjust.

After the 1st inning, he was pretty good, overall like a poor man's version of 2014 Phil Hughes.

[twinscowboysbulls]

Berrios will find himself in the rotation eventually. No need to pull Hughes this early, he's coming off major injuries and showed some decent flashes today.

Dearest MBS/VD,

 

I agree in part, but also realize he gave up some rockets that were luckily caught. Also, it appears CWS lineup is terrible. I will most certainly take that result and the win, but not sure it continues.

[twinscowboysbulls]

I don't think I saw any in the 80's so that's good. After the first inning, the outs weren't hit all that hard. Frazier hit a curveball to the fence that Rosario caught, but I thought he looked pretty sharp overall.

How about the laser that Kepler made a diving catch on?

[twinscowboysbulls]

And to all the folks talking about cold weather: is this the first year ever that baseball has been played in April? First 4 cold games in their lives? Why are you making that excuse for guys? Is the cold why Buxton is ice cold?

 

I get that baseball isn't "meant" for this weather, but it has been played in it for eons now. No excuses allowed.

[bluechipper]

 

How about the laser that Kepler made a diving catch on?

Yeah the fielding was huge, but giving up only a few hard hit balls in the 5 innings after the 1st isn't too bad. I'm going to put this start in the positive and encouraging category.

[flags]

i'm not trying to be negative at all and the results were great and really thats what matters.  but i thought he missed his spots repeatedly all night. gimenez would set up low and away and hughes would miss middle in, etc. he was still getting outs on those pitches, but if he keeps missing his spots that badly eventually he's going to miss over the middle of the plate.

 

for his first start after a major surgery, he wasn't terrible. i just don't think he was as good as some others believe.  still, i want nothing more than for him to succeed. he's going to be here a while yet 

[jimbo92107]

 

And Berrios to the rotation.

Berrios got destroyed last season. For the moment at least, Hughes is still holding his own, and Hughes's fastball seems decent. I figure the Twins will do the swap you're suggesting sometime during the season, maybe a couple months in. Possibly earlier, if Hughes starts having problems with the parts that got sewed up over the winter. 

[old nurse]

 

10 extra feet of carry in that first inning and we start the top of the second down 8-0

The  pitched ball has more movement when warmer  making it harder to hit. Therefore some of the balls may not have been struck as well.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I missed most of the game. I assume he looked a lot worse than his numbers?

Loud outs but the OF defense saved the day... which I wouldn't rule out going forward. With those three roaming the OF, it's possible Hughes can be competent at 90mph.

 

Not good, though.

[twins_89]

In Hughes first start I was both encouraged by the results and a bit worried about the number of hard hit balls. Hughes with a 89-91 fastball isn't the same pitcher he was when he was throwing 92-94. He made it through his first start in good shape largely due to some excellent outfield defense, but it's going to take a while before I'm convinced that he can be successful over the course of a season. 

[Halsey Hall]

 

 He made it through his first start in good shape largely due to some excellent outfield defense, but it's going to take a while before I'm convinced that he can be successful over the course of a season. 

As I am concerned about the entire rotation.

[FormerMinnasotan]

I think Berrios will replace Mejia if Mejia struggles some more. If Mejia can't pull it together within the next 3-4 starts (which is possible because most pitchers when they get their first MLB action struggle) Berrios will be back in the Twins rotation. Hughes is paid too well to simply give up on him after 1 start (and his start wasn't half bad either).

[DocBauer]

Sorry...i only got to see part of the game. What I saw was a couple poor pitches and maybe a mixup of two with what Giminez called and wanted. I also saw some nice pitches and good break.

 

So, coming off major surgery, still building his strength/velocity and a feel for everything else, he overcame a tough 1st to complete 6 and the Twins win. IN COLD WEATHER AND HIS FIRST START. But he should already be dismissed, cut, regulated to the pen, etc.

 

Sorry...I figured at this point he might be in EAT working his way back, and yet, he pitched a solid game that we won. And the desperate problem is what again?

[ashbury]

He may need to commit to being a junkballer soon, using the fastball only for show outside the strike zone. Guys have survived on that after losing the fastball. Frank Tanana made a career of it.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think one start is too soon to make the call, especially given that he did fine. I think it's a step in the right direction, and I fully expect to see Berrios at some point, but right now I'm quite fine with waiting until someone falters.

[twinscowboysbulls]

 

Berrios got destroyed last season. For the moment at least, Hughes is still holding his own, and Hughes's fastball seems decent. I figure the Twins will do the swap you're suggesting sometime during the season, maybe a couple months in. Possibly earlier, if Hughes starts having problems with the parts that got sewed up over the winter. 

Did Berrios get destroyed, or did his own mistakes destroy himself?  There is a big difference.  

 

(lack of command, walks)

[lukeduke1980]

 

He may need to commit to being a junkballer soon, using the fastball only for show outside the strike zone. Guys have survived on that after losing the fastball. Frank Tanana made a career of it.

Hughes will have to 'learn to pitch' and use his other pitches primarily.  I liked watching Gimenez behind the plate, telling Hughes to 'think'.

[ashbury]

I liked watching Gimenez behind the plate, telling Hughes to 'think'.

I am curious what you saw that led you to think that, as opposed to him putting down some fingers and then setting up for the pitch.

[nicksaviking]

I've been against Hughes in the rotation all off season.

 

But my biggest gripe, even more so than the velocity is that he had no changeup and his curve was always awful. Well 26% of his pitches last game were changeups, a pitch he hasn't really thrown in half a decade and only 30% of his pitches were fastballs (slowballs?). It looks like there is an active effort to re-invent Hughes.

 

I'm still extremely skeptical and doubtful it will work, but I'll give him some leash seeing as they are attempting to fix him as opposed to stubbornly trying to push what no longer worked.

[gocgo]

With what the defense has showed so far, why would you want someone who walks guys over someone who throws strikes?  Hint:with our defense, one will get caught a lot while the other will never result in an out.

[Mike Sixel]

 

I've been against Hughes in the rotation all off season.

 

But my biggest gripe, even more so than the velocity is that he had no changeup and his curve was always awful. Well 26% of his pitches last game were changeups, a pitch he hasn't really thrown in half a decade and only 30% of his pitches were fastballs (slowballs?). It looks like there is an active effort to re-invent Hughes.

 

I'm still extremely skeptical and doubtful it will work, but I'll give him some leash seeing as they are attempting to fix him as opposed to stubbornly trying to push what no longer worked.

 

Agreed, if you start him as a starter, you need to give him some time to show one way or the other what he is.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

But my biggest gripe, even more so than the velocity is that he had no changeup and his curve was always awful. Well 26% of his pitches last game were changeups, a pitch he hasn't really thrown in half a decade and only 30% of his pitches were fastballs (slowballs?). It looks like there is an active effort to re-invent Hughes.

I consider this a very good thing. It shows that the front office and coaching staff realize 2017 Phil Hughes is not 2014 Phil Hughes and are making proactive decisions to keep him in the rotation.

 

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't... but that's the kind of move we didn't see from 2011-2014.

 

Simply acknowledging that a 90mph Phil Hughes cannot be the same pitcher as 2014 Phil Hughes is a breath of fresh air. Maybe it shouldn't be but after watching this team toil away, trying the same things over and over and failing in the process, it's refreshing.

[nicksaviking]

 

I consider this a very good thing. It shows that the front office and coaching staff realize 2017 Phil Hughes is not 2014 Phil Hughes and are making proactive decisions to keep him in the rotation.

 

Maybe it works, maybe it doesn't... but that's the kind of move we didn't see from 2011-2014.

 

Simply acknowledging that a 90mph Phil Hughes cannot be the same pitcher as 2014 Phil Hughes is a breath of fresh air. Maybe it shouldn't be but after watching this team toil away, trying the same things over and over and failing in the process, it's refreshing.

 

Along with Hughes, Kyle Gibson and his not-very-good sinker was my other soapbox complaint this winter. In his first outing it looks like Kyle threw 30% fewer sinkers than last year and 40% more sliders, which is a good pitch for him. Gibson's change is also a good pitch and I'd like to see him throw that more, but it's very encouraging that there appears to be efforts to fix problems instead of the old fingers crossed and hope for the best approach.

 

Small sample sizes of course; it's only been one game. Both pitchers could still revert back to their career norms in terms of pitch usage I suppose.

[DaveW]

I'm much more concerned about Santiago, Mijea and Gibson tbh

[drjim]

 

I'm much more concerned about Santiago, Mijea and Gibson tbh

 

I'm concerned about everyone not named Santana in the rotation. Mejia most of all.

[jimbo92107]

 

Did Berrios get destroyed, or did his own mistakes destroy himself?  There is a big difference.  

 

(lack of command, walks)

From what I gathered, they decided that Berrios was releasing the ball at too low a point, creating pitches that traveled too flat. He was getting away with it in the minors because of his velocity and movement, but at the mlb level you need more of a downward plane to keep the world's best hitters from mashing your offerings.