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Minnesota Twins 3 Up, 3 Down: Nelson Cruz’s return sparks Twins

By Chris Schad

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 7: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates his solo home run that broke a 3-3 tie against the Detroit Tigers with Eddie Rosario #20 of the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Comerica Park on June 7, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. The Twins defeated the Tigers 6-3. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 7: Nelson Cruz #23 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates his solo home run that broke a 3-3 tie against the Detroit Tigers with Eddie Rosario #20 of the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Comerica Park on June 7, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. The Twins defeated the Tigers 6-3. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – JULY 01: Matt Magill #68 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field on July 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – JULY 01: Matt Magill #68 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the second inning at Wrigley Field on July 1, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images) /

DOWN: The Twins bullpen (again)

Last week, we finished off this column talking about the Twins bullpen, but there were at least reasons for optimism. Had the Twins successfully signed Kimbrel, we might not be having this discussion. Instead, the Twins bullpen is veering dangerously close to full blown crisis mode.

As described in a piece earlier this weekend, the Twins issue is not the back end of the bullpen where Taylor Rogers and Blake Parker have done a serviceable job, but it’s more the issue of getting the ball to them after the starter leaves. With the recent implosion of Martin Perez and Kyle Gibson‘s rough start on Saturday, the bullpen issues were amplified and Matt Magill was the team’s sacrificial lamb.

The Twins pitching staff is turning into a crisis. dark. Next

With the Twins looking more and more like a playoff contender (and a 10.5 game lead in the AL Central), the Minnesota front office will be under the microscope to fix this team’s shortcomings before the July 31 trade deadline. If their free agent pushes are any indication, the Twins are likely to play this thing close, which could end up biting them in the end.

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