Game Thread: Twins @ Red Sox, 4/19 @ 6:10 CT

[Craig Arko]

8 minutes ago, Craig Arko said:

Hahaha.

He did recover nicely.

[Squirrel]

3 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Do the Twins send Headrick down? Cruel business, but an option here wouldn’t be unprecedented. 

 

1 minute ago, IndianaTwin said:

Maybe, but I suspect he’s back to St. Paul in favor of Megill, since Sands hasn’t been down 10 days yet. 

Why? He did the job. Keep him up until he doesn’t. I don’t trust Megill, so keep Headrick for now

[IndianaTwin]

3 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Do the Twins send Headrick down? Cruel business, but an option here wouldn’t be unprecedented. 

I think it’s likely. He threw 47 pitches, so he’s probably out until at least Sunday, so they’d be playing a body short. 

[Squirrel]

7 minutes ago, mrtwinsfan said:

Nice job Kid   and a old school Save!!!!!

MIRACLE WORKER!!!!!

[jkcarew]

1 minute ago, stringer bell said:

Do the Twins send Headrick down? Cruel business, but an option here wouldn’t be unprecedented. 

Are they ready to turn him into a relief pitcher? 

Will continue to give him starts in St Paul, I assume…unless I missed some news.

[IndianaTwin]

Just now, Squirrel said:

 

Why? He did the job. Keep him up until he doesn’t. I don’t trust Megill, so keep Headrick for now

I don’t disagree with you. It just seems to be the nature of the beast with the 8th spot in the bullpen. I’m guessing a Sands-Headrick-Megill shuttle until one clearly pushes himself up the ladder or out of the mix. 

[Craig Arko]

Just now, Squirrel said:

MIRACLE WORKER!!!!!

Just like Scotty.

[IndianaTwin]

Sounds like Headrick is just the third Twin to get a save in his MLB debut. Michael Nakamura in 2003, but I haven’t heard the other name. 

[MMMordabito]

2 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

I don’t disagree with you. It just seems to be the nature of the beast with the 8th spot in the bullpen. I’m guessing a Sands-Headrick-Megill shuttle until one clearly pushes himself up the ladder or out of the mix. 

He could be competing with Moran too.  

[stringer bell]

8 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

Are they ready to turn him into a relief pitcher? 

Will continue to give him starts in St Paul, I assume…unless I missed some news.

He started one game and relieved in one game (multiple innings), so I would think his role is undefined. I’m sure that Headrick would rather earn big league pay and service time than be somewhere between the fourth and seventh option to join the starting rotation. 

[IndianaTwin]

No doubt we’ve got recency bias with last night being so fresh, but yeah, I suspect Moran would be the guy sliding to the 8th Man Shuttle if Sands or Headrick would take a step forward.

As JKCarew notes, it also would seem logical to slip Headrick back into the St. Paul rotation, thinking of this in the vein of having a couple extra days between starts. He’s had one start and one relief appearance in St. Paul this year.  

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

Red Sox announcers commenting on Kepler's "lack of, how do you term it, aggressive effort" on that final play last night, LOL.

This is embarrassing for the Twins. 

[jkcarew]

1 minute ago, stringer bell said:

He started one game and relieved in one game (multiple innings), so I would think his role is undefined. I’m sure that Headrick would rather earn big league pay and service time than be somewhere between the fourth and seventh option to join the starting rotation. 

He’s always been a starter. They’ll put him in St Paul so he can stay stretched out. Maybe becomes emergency LH BP arm if/when Moran is toast. But, I haven’t heard anything about them giving up, or screwing with, his development as a starter…quite the opposite, over the winter we were hearing that they were high on him as a starter.

[stringer bell]

3 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

He’s always been a starter. They’ll put him in St Paul so he can stay stretched out. Maybe becomes emergency LH BP arm if/when Moran is toast. But, I haven’t heard anything about them giving up, or screwing with, his development as a starter…quite the opposite, over the winter we were hearing that they were high on him as a starter.

They added him to the 40-man and now recalled him, so yes they value Headrick. What they are doing seems to parallel what they did to start the season last year with Josh Winder. That is, they are putting a guy in the bullpen for pretty specialized duty—to come in and pitch multiple innings in a one-sided game or where the starter leaves with an injury. He (and Sands earlier this year and Winder last year) has a much different role and expectations from the other seven guys in the ‘pen. I don’t think the goal is to convert him for a season or even a career as a relief pitcher, but it’s a specialized slot. The Twins weren’t able to keep a dedicated long man for much of the season, but Rocco has said he’d like to have a long man as much as possible. 

[Jocko87]

5 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

They added him to the 40-man and now recalled him, so yes they value Headrick. What they are doing seems to parallel what they did to start the season last year with Josh Winder. That is, they are putting a guy in the bullpen for pretty specialized duty—to come in and pitch multiple innings in a one-sided game or where the starter leaves with an injury. He (and Sands earlier this year and Winder last year) has a much different role and expectations from the other seven guys in the ‘pen. I don’t think the goal is to convert him for a season or even a career as a relief pitcher, but it’s a specialized slot. The Twins weren’t able to keep a dedicated long man for much of the season, but Rocco has said he’d like to have a long man as much as possible. 

It's a great way to get them acclimated to the show as well.

[wabene]

1 hour ago, notoriousgod71 said:

Care to revise your Statement, sir?

God has spoken, three times! 

[wabene]

Nice game rookie! 

 

[SwainZag]

48 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

He’s always been a starter. They’ll put him in St Paul so he can stay stretched out. Maybe becomes emergency LH BP arm if/when Moran is toast. But, I haven’t heard anything about them giving up, or screwing with, his development as a starter…quite the opposite, over the winter we were hearing that they were high on him as a starter.

Which is great, the only problem is that he is probably....9th or 10th? on the totem pole as far as starters go in the system.  Behind Lopez, Gray, Ryan, Maeda, Mahle, Ober, Varland, SWR....not to mention Winder, Sands and possibly Paddack when he comes back from injury.

With him already being 25 and not exactly lighting up AA or AAA....though his K numbers have been fantastic....everything points, at least to me, to transitioning to a bullpen role.  I could be wrong though.