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Minnesota Twins 3 Up, 3 Down: Jose Berrios’ struggles a concern for Twins down the stretch

By Chris Schad

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 06: manager Rocco Baldelli #5 of the Minnesota Twins pulls starting pitcher Jose Berrios #17 from the interleague game against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning on August 6, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 06: manager Rocco Baldelli #5 of the Minnesota Twins pulls starting pitcher Jose Berrios #17 from the interleague game against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning on August 6, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 23: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins walks to the dugout in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field on August 23, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players’ Weekend. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 23: Jose Berrios #17 of the Minnesota Twins walks to the dugout in the sixth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Target Field on August 23, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Teams are wearing special color schemed uniforms with players choosing nicknames to display for Players’ Weekend. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

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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.

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