Bullpen

[USAFChief]

The Twins bullpen has now given up 25 runs in 10 June games. ERA for the season near 5, and it's worse than that if you take out Rogers.

 

They went 6-4 on the road trip, but the cracks were visible and widening, and have been since April. This isn't news, even if the damage was minimized for a time through fortune, good to great starting pitching, and historically outrageous offense.

 

There is no help in the minors. 30 year old rookies and failed minor leaguers getting a chance make for nice stories, but don't end up helping the team win important games.

 

They passed on help this winter, and passed on potenial help in Kimbrel.

 

I don't know what they should do. I'm not sure they can or will pay enough in prospects to seriously improve the pen. I know it won't be cheap, and several of the best trade pieces are hurt.

 

Any ideas?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

The ironic thing is that their offense is over-achieving by so much, that they don’t have to do a thing.

[akmanak]

Lol when they start dropping a bunch of games to medicore teams you will think differently.

[stringer bell]

Absolutely need to improve their bullpen. They will have to trade prospects I would imagine and perhaps assume some money on the contracts they would acquire.

[MNT1996]

Another pathetic showing from the bullpen. At this point trade any of our top prospects for elite arms. It's getting absolutely ridiculous. 

[jimbo92107]

Talk is of picking up one veteran reliever. How about three? I'm about done with Trevor May, and tho Duffey's stuff looks promising, it needs to get a lot better before August. Morin seems average at best. Parker's stuff looks good, but it gets hit too much. Rookie Ryan Eades may be the third best reliever on the staff, behind Rogers and Harper. Not exactly a reassuring prospect. 

 

Granted, Seattle's got a very good hitting team, but they're not as good as the real contenders like Houston, Boston, etc. And those teams have MUCH better pitching. Apparently there are no rising star relievers in Rochester. How about Pensacola? I see straws...I must grasp them!

[lecroy24fan]

Jake Reed is the only one left in Rochester they haven't tried up here. He has a good ERA in a hitter friendly league. He should get a look.

[howeda7]

Parker needs a stint on the DL. Something is very wrong. 

[DiscGolfer]

Trades will get done to address the bullpen situation.  The question isn't if but when.  It's highly unlikely to see anything done in the immediate future and there isn't any pressing need to get something done right now.  The division lead isn't going anywhere.  I'd like to see a deal get done around the time of the all star break.  I'm sure Twins scouts are out looking at all trade targets everyday 

[Rosterman]

Something is wrong with Parker.

 

I'm sure the league will quickly catch up to Eades.

 

Wish Moya and Vasquez had something. See that Philadelphia signed the free agent John Curtiss.

 

I'm sure the management will troll the Indy Leagues for some hunger projects.

 

I want to see Trevor May become the new closer, but he failed pitching back-to-back today.

 

Littell is in relief, his road to the majors.

 

Still worry about the rotation, too. Happily Pineda and Gibson need to stay hungry for contracts next year, somewhere else, I'm sure. I question if it is wise to invest in Odorizzi bigtime for the future, but he will get some kind of payday in 2020.

 

What's up with Gonsalves? Will anyone be able to jump from AA to the Twins?

 

[Highabove]

This is such a marvelous lineup that easily compares with 87 and 91.

 

This Bullpen as it stands now, put's a ceiling on what can be accomplished.

[howeda7]

May can't be the closer until he stops walking so many people. 

[jokin]

The only "plan" presented thus far is to bring up either an

untried or

unproven or

underwhelming

"new" arm for a "tryout."

 

Not much of a plan.

 

In the process, the Twins are frittering away winnable games, even with this record-setting offense, in May and June- which will come back to bite them come playoff time- as they seem rather complacent about ceding potential home field advantage.

 

I've said it many times before, bring up the very best SPs in AA and AAA, and see if they can throw consistent, clean, one-inning stints 3-4 times/week, including a back-to-back on occasion.

 

And get on the horn to the Giants/Marlins/Nats/Royals, etc. about beating the other playoff-bound teams to the punch and locking down at least 1-2 credible RP arms before the ASG.

 

 

[jimbo92107]

Used to be that rookie starting pitchers typically would spend time in the bullpen before getting a chance to start. Now it seems that relief prospects in the minors get first dibs on being a reliever in the bigs. Time to call bull on that notion. The Twins have at least a few starters in the minors that look like better pitchers than any of their minor league relievers. The front office should seriously consider using guys like Stewart, Smeltzer and Thorpe as relievers on the 2019 squad. All hands on deck for this season. 

 

Want a few more amps on some heaters? There are a couple guys in AA, including Graterol. I'd even be okay with bringing in a guy from high A ball, like Jordan Balazovic. The team needs pitchers that can get guys out, regardless how the organization wants to pigeonhole their roles. This season could be really special if the bullpen does not remain its one glaring weakness. 

[MNT1996]

 

This is such a marvelous lineup that easily compares with 87 and 91.

 

This Bullpen as it stands now, put's a ceiling on what can be accomplished.

 

This lineup is miles above the lineups put out there in 87 and 91

[diehardtwinsfan]

To be fair, last night's loss is on the defense more than the pen in my opinion. It's like Seattle secretly stuck their own guys in the field for us last night. The D makes a couple plays and this game looks a lot similar to previous games... 

 

But... to Cheif's point, they need to do something. They have one fireman, and he's day to day. They need two more, whether that be by acquiring a starter and moving Perez (who I think could be lights out in an RP role) or Pineda to the pen or picking up at least two more relievers.

 

If I were Falvine, I'd be making calls now. They can afford to delay a bit and let losing teams eat the injury risk as Cleveland hasn't caught up on them, but they'd be pretty crazy to delay too long as one good hot streak in Cleveland could close that gap pretty quick based on how they are playing right now. 

[yarnivek1972]

Jake Reed is the only one left in Rochester they haven't tried up here. He has a good ERA in a hitter friendly league. He should get a look.

Other than a two week stretch at the beginning of May in which he gave up 9 of the 16 runs he’s allowed all year, he’s been pretty good. He has an extreme righty lefty split though. That might be what is keeping him in AAA. But I agree, the Twins need to find out what he can do at the MLB level. They should have attempted to do so last year instead of wasting innings on Matt Belisle. He has nothing to prove or improve upon in AAA. He is who he is at this point. He’s either good enough or he’s not. Time to find out IMO.

[rdehring]

What is that old Beatles song, HELP?  Can't remember the exact words, but the song kept going thru my mind as I read this post.

[Tomj14]

When you have a season going like this one, you don't ride out a crappy bullpen waiting for them to get better or wait until the deadline, you go get the team help ASAP.

To show the other players and fans you believe in this team and will do what it takes to win.

Because there is no guarantee everything is going to fall into place again, ask the Nats when they sat Strasburg in the playoffs because they thought they would be back.

The Front Office should already have a couple of guys they think would help, you call those teams and make an offer they can't refuse and get help. (I am not saying Royce, Alex, Brusdar, Trevor or Wander)

I am saying you call San Fran and say we want Smith and we are offering Rooker/Gordon, Thorpe and Alcala, or something they can't say no to.

[Riverbrian]

The performance of the bullpen is ultimately good news. At least the timing is. 

 

Think of it this way... If you are not getting much sleep night after night and you yawn a couple of times at work. You probably don't go to the doctor. 

 

Now, If you are not getting much sleep night after night and you pass out at work, bang your head on the danish cart on the way down, causing your boss to put everything down just to clean up the blood in the break room from your gushing head wound.

 

You just might go to the doctor after that. 

 

 

 

[twinssporto]

 

The performance of the bullpen is ultimately good news. At least the timing is. 

 

Think of it this way... If you are not getting much sleep night after night and you yawn a couple of times at work. You probably don't go to the doctor. 

 

Now, If you are not getting much sleep night after night and you pass out at work, bang your head on the danish cart on the way down, causing your boss to put everything down just to clean up the blood in the break room from your gushing head wound.

 

You just might go to the doctor after that. 

Are you saying our bullpen guys are suffering from sleep apnea?  Can you pitch with one of those contraptions strapped to your face?

[GCTF]

What's Brian Bass up to?

[Vanimal46]

Are you saying our bullpen guys are suffering from sleep apnea? Can you pitch with one of those contraptions strapped to your face?

They have no excuse for sleep apnea! Falvine built a nap room for the players...

[wsnydes]

 

The ironic thing is that their offense is over-achieving by so much, that they don’t have to do a thing.

To win the division that is probably true. To be a serious WS contender I would disagree. 

[twinsnorth49]

If only somone wrote an article on some ideas........oh wait. 

 

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/33482-article-10-relievers-minnesota-could-target/

[jorgenswest]

Blake Parker velocity is down more than 2 mph compared to the previous two Junes. It is down from the start of this season.

 

A drop in velocity doesn’t need to have a large sample to indicate something is not right. It could be an injury. It could be a change in mechanics. It could be age. I don’t think it is the workload. I doubt that it is random variation.

[Puckett34]

 

What is that old Beatles song, HELP?  Can't remember the exact words, but the song kept going thru my mind as I read this post.

And now that song is stuck in my head.

 

That aside, I think at least 2 arms are needed to shore up the bullpen, 1 to team with Rogers in the 8th-9th, the other to move the likes of May, Parker, and Harper to lower leverage situations.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 

Jake Reed is the only one left in Rochester they haven't tried up here. He has a good ERA in a hitter friendly league. He should get a look.

I agree.

[Puckett34]

 

Are you saying our bullpen guys are suffering from sleep apnea?  Can you pitch with one of those contraptions strapped to your face?

Bane does it

 

[Riverbrian]

Are you saying our bullpen guys are suffering from sleep apnea? Can you pitch with one of those contraptions strapped to your face?

The tube will get caught on the arm and give them a more effective change up.

 

Actually... the bullpen is one guy collectively. Each member of the pen and rotation is a symptom.

 

The doctor is going to recommend surgery. The Surgeon goes on a 3 month vacation to the Gobi desert on July 31st.

 

The blood in the break room increases the urgency to schedule the surgery instead of fixing the issue with diet and exercise.