Minnesota Twins 3 Up, 3 Down: Jose Berrios’ struggles a concern for Twins down the stretch
The Minnesota Twins had a disappointing week with a .500 home stand, but they need to figure out how to get their pitching staff on track for a postseason run.
If there’s one thing we know about the Minnesota Twins this season, it’s that they can hit. With Minnesota closing in on an MLB record for most home runs in a single season, it’s apparent that if a team wants to get in a slugging contest, the Twins are able to go blow-for-blow as they head into the final stretch of the season.
That’s an entertaining brand of baseball for fans, but it might raise the blood pressure of those who are involved with the team.
When the team got off to their hot start with a 40-18 record, they did so not just by outslugging their opponents, but outpitching them as well. As the starting rotation thrived under new pitching coach Wes Johnson, the bullpen was able to enter the game in low-pressure situations and the Twins wound up building a huge lead.
Now, the starting rotation can’t seem to buy a quality start and as a result, the bullpen has come crashing down to earth. At the center of this dilemma is Jose Berrios, who began the season as the staff ace, but has seen his performance take a dive since the calendar turned to August.
There are still some great things going on with the Twins, but in the postseason, Berrios may be the pitcher that has the greatest upside to solidify their rotation. If the Twins can’t get him going, we may see more weeks like this and perhaps an earlier than anticipated exit from this pennant chase.
Stock Up
Jake Cave
At this time last week, a certain Puckett’s Pond author was looking for ways to replace Jake Cave in the lineup. With his performance in the series against the Tigers last week, he may have found a way to redeem himself.
Cave was outstanding against Detroit, smashing two home runs on Friday night and adding a third on Saturday. If that wasn’t enough, Cave made a leaping catch in left field as a defensive replacement on Sunday to wrap up his solid week.
Since being recalled for the third time this season on Aug. 3, Cave has raked at the plate hitting .452/.511/.786 with three home runs and six RBI in 12 games. That performance won’t make anyone forget about Byron Buxton, but if Cave can add value as a fourth outfielder, it would be huge once the Twins’ outfield is completely healthy.
Martin Perez
Martin Perez‘s season has been one with several ups and downs, but with a couple of starts, it seems like he’s turning it around. Dating back to his start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 13, Perez has allowed just four earned runs in his past 17 innings and has relied less on his cutter that opposing hitters have been sitting on.
The results have been solid and with a six-inning performance against Detroit on Sunday, it was just the second quality start for the Twins this month. Nobody is expecting Perez to suddenly become an ace-like pitcher he was in April and early May, but if he can figure some things out, it would be a huge boost for a starting staff that needs someone to step up.
Miguel Sano
It seems like a long time ago when people were trying to figure out what to do with Miguel Sano, but it’s becoming clear that he is a key force in the Twins’ lineup.
A year ago, Sano hit just 13 bombs in 71 games, but has rebounded significantly with 26 home runs in 80 games in 2019. The latest example of his impact came this past weekend, when he crushed a pair of home runs on Friday night and a huge three-run homer that gave the Twins the lead on Saturday night.
There still may be a crowd that believes that trading Sano for a starting pitcher is the right move (and it could happen this offseason), but if he keeps hitting like he has, there is no reason to get rid of a guy that can make this kind of impact.
Stock Down
Jose Berrios
It’s crazy to think how far Berrios has fallen in the past couple of weeks. Not even a month ago, it was easy to be excited after Berrios dominated the Miami Marlins for seven innings and threw in 11 strikeouts in one of his best performances of the year. Now, he looks like someone who belongs at the bottom of the rotation.
In the month of August, Berrios has been a trainwreck on the mound, compiling an 8.44 ERA in four starts. His last start on Friday was even more concerning, as he tight-roped through five scoreless innings against the Tigers and was tagged for five runs in the sixth inning before being forced to leave the game.
The Twins didn’t make a move at the trade deadline in large part because they thought Berrios could be the ace this team needed down the stretch. Now, they have to try to rebuild his confidence on the fly or risk falling behind an Indians team that seems to be getting stronger.
Eddie Rosario
The Twins seem to have a rough history when it comes to projecting their injuries. When Eddie Rosario was removed from Wednesday’s game with hamstring tightness, it was assumed he would just need an extra day of rest and would be ready to go against the Tigers this past weekend.
Instead, Rosario didn’t make an appearance despite being available for pinch-hitting duties. With Byron Buxton already out of the lineup (but close to a return), it’s imperative that the Twins get their left fielder back as soon as possible. Perhaps that could come as soon as Tuesday night in Chicago, but it’s still a concern until we see No. 20 back in left field.
Sergio Romo
At this point, it almost seems like as soon as a reliever gets going in the Twins bullpen, they seem to fall into a nasty slump they can’t get out of. After seeing it happen to Sam Dyson and Taylor Rogers, it seems like it’s time for Sergio Romo to suffer the same fate.
Romo had a tough week in the bullpen despite picking up a pair of holds as hitters seemed to momentarily catch up with his frisbee sliders. In three games, Romo allowed just two runs in 1 1/3 innings, but opposing hitters hit .500 with a .625 slugging percentage in those appearances.
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Maybe this was just a tough week for the right-hander, but at this point, manager Rocco Baldelli might not know who to trust late in games. For the Twins’ sake, hopefully, this was just a bump in the road for Romo to be one of the key bullpen arms down the stretch.