Short Starts, Long Nights: The Twins Have An Efficiency Issue

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of © Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

It’s still very early in the season, but it doesn’t take long for certain patterns to start showing up. And for the Minnesota Twins, one of those patterns is already becoming pretty clear. 

The starting rotation has struggled to work efficiently through lineups, and as a result, they are not pitching deep into games. That’s something we’ve seen from this team in previous seasons and now appears to be carrying over into the early part of this year.

So far, Taj Bradley’s outing on Thursday stands out for one simple reason, as it was the first time a Twins starter has completed six innings.

Even that came with some context that is worth paying attention to. Bradley needed 100 pitches to get through those six innings, and what makes that number even more notable is how his outing finished, as he threw just 21 pitches combined across his final two innings. So while he was able to give the Twins some length, it was not exactly efficient length, and that distinction matters.

When you zoom out and look at the rest of the rotation, the trend becomes even more noticeable. Joe Ryan went four innings on Wednesday, Bradley, in his first start, made it through just four and a third, and Bailey Ober also gave the team four innings in each of his two starts.

Mick Abel, who wasn’t technically making a start, still serves as another good example. He needed 81 pitches to record just 10 outs out of the bullpen, which further reinforces the point that this has been a group-wide issue rather than a one-off performance.

Individually, those outings might not raise too many alarms, especially this early in the season when pitch counts are still being built up and teams are generally cautious with their starters. But collectively, it starts to paint a much more concerning picture.

Right now, the Twins have been able to manage it because their early schedule has included a couple of off days, which has helped keep the bullpen relatively fresh. That cushion isn’t going to last much longer, with no off day now until April 16th.

That’s where this starts to become a real concern, because a lack of efficiency from your starting pitchers doesn’t just affect their individual outings, it has a ripple effect across the entire pitching staff. If your starters are consistently giving you four or five innings instead of six, you’re asking your relievers to cover at least four innings on a regular basis, and over the course of a long season, that kind of workload adds up quickly.

Even in the short term, it can start to create problems. Relievers need rest and time between outings to stay sharp and healthy. If they're being used heavily night after night, you either run out of available arms or you end up putting pitchers into situations where they are not at their best. Neither of those outcomes is ideal, especially for a bullpen that already has some question marks.

It’s also important to point out that this issue doesn’t fall entirely on the starting rotation.

Defense plays a significant role in all of this, and when routine plays are not converted into outs, innings get extended, which leads to more pitches, longer at-bats, and ultimately shorter outings for your starter. Wednesday night in Kansas City provided a clear example of how quickly that can spiral.

There was a tailor-made double play ball hit right to Victor Caratini at first base. It should have resulted in two quick outs and an inning that was firmly under control. Instead, there was a throwing error, and rather than having two outs and nobody on, the Twins suddenly found themselves with no outs and two runners on base.

From there, things continued to unravel. A walk followed, and then a strikeout that should have ended the inning if the double play had been turned. But instead, the inning stayed alive. Bases loaded with one out, and the next at-bat resulted in a grand slam. The Twins lost that game by four.

Moments like that highlight just how costly inefficiency can be, even when it is not entirely self-inflicted by the pitcher. One missed play can turn into an extended inning, that extended inning turns into a higher pitch count, and that higher pitch count leads to an earlier exit, which then forces the bullpen to cover even more ground.

That’s where everything starts to connect. The rotation needs to be more efficient, not just for their own sake, but to protect the rest of the pitching staff.

There are areas where the starters themselves can improve, such as getting ahead in counts, putting hitters away more quickly, and avoiding unnecessary walks, all of which can help keep pitch counts down and allow them to work deeper into games.

At the same time, the defense needs to support them by making routine plays and avoiding mistakes that extend innings. Those small moments can have a much larger impact over the course of a game.

Right now, it’s a combination of factors, with some of it falling on the pitchers and some of it not. But the end result is the same: the Twins are not getting enough length from their starting rotation.

And while it may not feel like a major issue just yet, it’s the kind of trend that can become a problem in a hurry, especially as the schedule tightens and the games start to stack up. If the Twins can’t start getting deeper outings from their starters, the strain on the bullpen will only increase.

Over the course of a long season, that’s not a path that usually leads to success.

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[tony&rodney]

The Twins players are doing their best, especially considering the weather. Until such time as the AAA guys have developed enough to push their way on to the roster as regulars, the Twins will suffer from defensive shortcomings. No amount of concentration will turn a current Twins LF into Kwan or a RF into Clemente. I am appreciating the efforts right now and hoping the coaches can reduce mental errors.

[bunsen82]

We have lots of AAAA pitchers to shuttle back and forth.  Ober will likely be our biggest issue moving forward.  As long as we can get 5 more innings from the rest I am not drastically concerned.  2 innings from Orze was nice.   2 low leverage innings in Banda and Laweryson were good too.  Not all innings are created equal.  I don't know if its due to colder temps or not,  but Banda has been a bit wild.  He hasn't had a horrible inning yet but he had 4 or 5 pitches get away from him yesterday.  All in all about as good of a start from pitching as you could have hoped for.  

[Patzky]

Thanks for addressing the role that defense plays in extending innings and inflating pitch counts. And the mental stress that errors and missed plays puts on the pitcher. At least some of the umpire errors can be addressed, quite a few of them if challenges are properly used. 

[Nshore]

When the Twins had Sonny Gray, he made a point of making it a goal for the rotation to pitch  deeper into games that year - and they did.  How much of it is mindset and how much is talent, who knows - probably a lot of both.

[DarrenPS]

It's early April, we are 7 games into the season, have had some cold weather games, think it's a little too soon for this article

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Ober will likely be our biggest issue

Funny pun there.

[Patzky]

34 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Funny pun there.

It's a tall order

 

[JADBP]

WOAH!  I missed that....Bradley tossed 100 pitches?!?!???!  In his second outing?  Come on, really?  Are they intentionally trying to blow out his arm?  

[RpR]

They treated him like a professional ball player in whom they had faith.

Or his mother did not call and tell them to stop.

[Western SD Fan]

I brought this over from last night's story.  Given this chart, it almost looks inevitable considering yesterday's short start from Ober.  Abel may have to be hung out there for a while to just get outs if it goes bad for him right away tonight.  You would expect Orze, Topa, and possibly Kent to still be down tonight.  Laweryson and Banda are likely not going to be your first choices unless they are finishing an inning and not coming out for the next inning.  That leaves you Funderburk, Rogers, and Sands.  A short or a bad start likely means someone is making the St. Paul Shuffle.  Another reference point is that they have already been planning this inevitability as Altavilla has been pitching on multiple days in a row in St. Paul, assuming that he will be the first player called up.

[Linus]

It’s early. Pitch counts are going to be limited so it’s really hard to talk about efficiency at this point. 

[DJL44]

Better defense would make all of their pitchers better. The pitchers have to try to strike everyone out. They don’t have the luxury of pitching to contact even when they have a lead.

[ashbury]

4 hours ago, JADBP said:

WOAH!  I missed that....Bradley tossed 100 pitches?!?!???!  In his second outing?  Come on, really?  Are they intentionally trying to blow out his arm?  

[Sam Caulder]

11 hours ago, DarrenPS said:

It's early April, we are 7 games into the season, have had some cold weather games, think it's a little too soon for this article

If it wasn't an issue for the last few years as well, I'd agree with you. But when you're getting at most five innings from your starters night in and night out, it's an issue, regardless of where in the season you are.

Edited April 5 by Sam Caulder

[Bodie]

6 hours ago, Sam Caulder said:

If it wasn't an issue for the last few years as well, I'd agree with you. But when you're getting at most five innings from your starters night in and night out, it's an issue, regardless of where in the season you are.

^^^This!  

 

Add in the fact that everyone who goes 6 innings is universally hailed in the clubhouse and the manager's office as if they ran a THREE minute mile. It isn't impressive,  and it sure as heck is not a recipe for success.   Especially with this Twins' bullpen. 

 

The real question is where on this roster do you see any length?  Ryan is healing up and has a history of missing short periods late in the year.  His 176 innings was a career high and is not going to be passed this year.

No Lopez and his innings, but Ober and his history of no innings. 

Bradley and Abel having their best month of thier career will each go <5 innings regularly because of thier inability (so far in thier careers) to pitch efficiently for any stretch. 

I don't expect everyone to go 7-8-9 innings every forth day.  But I want to scream when I  hear Ryan, being interviewed midgame (another topic), and being at all satisfied with going 6 innings. Who the fu... thinks the third guy (9th inning guy, 8th inning guy, and finally the 7th inning guy who should probably feel lucky to have a rister spot in StP) out of the Twins bullpen gives you a better chance to win ???  I understand in this specific case Ryan is still "ramping it up", but I'll sure as shi... be able to cut and paste this exact post in August. 

And Ryan is the "best" case on this roster!  If no one expects more than mediocrity, don't be surprised when that is the best you get.

 

Grumpy old man out!

Edited April 5 by Bodie
Spell check shenanigans

[Patzky]

13 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Better defense would make all of their pitchers better. The pitchers have to try to strike everyone out. They don’t have the luxury of pitching to contact even when they have a lead.

Royce booted Saturday night started the ball rolling.. might be pitchers to blame also but Rays were stealing bases all night too 

[roger]

Saw Prielipp came out of the pen last night to pitch 3+ innings.  Was that weather related?  Or are they getting him ready for that role with the Twins?

[DJL44]

Just now, roger said:

Saw Prielipp came out of the pen last night to pitch 3+ innings.  Was that weather related?  Or are they getting him ready for that role with the Twins?

That seems rainout related 

[MGX]

7 hours ago, Sam Caulder said:

If it wasn't an issue for the last few years as well, I'd agree with you. But when you're getting at most five innings from your starters night in and night out, it's an issue, regardless of where in the season you are.

In 2025 the average start in MLB was barely over 5 innings. The Twins were right in line with this. This is how the game is played now & isn't exclusive to the Twins.

[Linus]

As pointed out above, this is a baseball issue not just the Twins. If pitchers are to go 7 plus innings they need to initiate soft contact early in the count. This means fewer strikeouts and more balls in play which goes against current dogma. There is no way to go deep in games when you need 80 pitches to get thru 4 or 5 innings. I actually think it would be interesting if Ober tried the old school pitch to contact theory. He’s got the good change up - might be better than trying to live up in the zone throwing 89. 

[David Maro]

The SP show what kind of game it is going to be in the 1st inning. When it takes 25 or more pitches to get out of the 1st inning. The BP will be spent by June if this doesn't change. Your SP are at 80 pitches after 4 innings witch means 5 innings of relief,not good.

[LambchoP]

Seems like the same issues we had last year. Starting pitchers inefficient. Early exits, overworked bullpen leading to lots of blow ups and losses. I can bet that our pen is going to be one big game of musical chairs throughout the year with lots of waiver claim type guys coming and going.

[DarrenPS]

On 4/5/2026 at 12:59 AM, Sam Caulder said:

If it wasn't an issue for the last few years as well, I'd agree with you. But when you're getting at most five innings from your starters night in and night out, it's an issue, regardless of where in the season you are.

6+ innings 100+ pitches every game since I believe, guess they heard you!