Do You Trust Glen Perkins?

Up until he successfully closed out a victory for the American League in the Midsummer Classic, Perkins had essentially been perfect in his ninth-inning role for the Twins. He converted all 28 of his save chances, held opponents to a .188 batting average, and allowed only four total extra-base hits in 37 innings of work.

During Minnesota's 20-win month of May, which put them into position to contend into the late days of September, Perkins was a constant force, closing out 14 of the Twins' 20 victories and picking up saves in 13 of his 15 appearances.

As good as he was that month, he only got better afterward. From the end of May through the All-Star break, he rattled off 13 straight scoreless appearances, allowing only three hits and two walks total. Perk's last two outings of the first half were the model of excellence and efficiency: he retired all six batters he faced on a total of 14 pitches.

Then, something went very wrong, and very suddenly.

Ever since he pitched the final inning in the All-Star Game, Perkins just hasn't been the same guy. He blew his first save of the year in his first outing after the break, and since then he hasn't been able to string together three consecutive appearances without allowing a run. In 18 second-half trips to the mound, the lefty has posted a 7.16 ERA while opponents have raked him to the tune of .356/.382/.658.

Wednesday night was just the latest example of Perkins' new found shakiness. He came in with a four-run lead in the ninth and let the Indians back into the game, coughing up two runs and allowing the tying run into the on-deck circle before finally retiring Yan Gomes on a pop-up to end it.

This is a level of struggle we haven't seen from the three-time All Star since he became closer, and it's clearly been tied to his health to some degree. But it leaves us to wonder: Can the Twins trust their most talented reliever here in the stretch run as they pursue the final wild-card spot in the American League?

Based on his numbers and his ongoing troubles on the mound, the obvious answer is no. But I'm not ready to go that far. First, I would point out that one night prior to his scare on Wednesday, Perkins relieved Ervin Santana with two on and nobody out in the eighth inning. He retired three straight batters -- including All Star Jason Kipnis and Rookie of the Year contender Francisco Lindor -- to protect a two-run lead. It might have been the biggest relief appearance the Twins have had all year.

And in general, even though things haven't exactly been smooth for Perkins lately, he has looked better, providing indications that his achy back is on the upswing. His velocity is basically in line with where it's been all year and he's still getting strikeouts while avoiding walks. In 10 2/3 innings over his last 12 appearances dating back to August 7th, he has 11 strikeouts and two walks. His .326 opponents' batting average and 5.06 ERA during that span can largely be tied to an egregious .394 batting average on balls in play. That simply won't sustain.

This also seems like a good opportunity to direct some credit to the Twins' manager and general manager. Paul Molitor has altered his usage of Perkins in response to the reliever's lessened effectiveness, keeping him out of tight save situations and often inserting him in lower-leverage spots. As a result, the Twins have gone 10-2 in Perk's last 12 appearances in spite of his struggles. Molitor's flexibility in this regard has been made possible by Terry Ryan's deadline acquisition of Kevin Jepsen, who provided another legitimate late-inning arm capable of stepping in and closing.

The presence of Jepsen means that the Twins don't need to lean quite as hard on Perkins, but there's no doubt that they'll need him pitching well if they're going to make a run at this thing.

Do you trust him?