The Twins are planning on sticking with a six-man rotation — at least for now.
After a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which the Twins used Pablo López, Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, they have lined up Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews and Taj Bradley to face the Yankees rather than drop down to a five-man rotation.
The Twins have two off days remaining over the course of the final two weeks of the season left, so it’s not necessarily something the Twins need to do. But, it’s something that has multiple advantages.
López, for example, has made two starts since coming off of a shoulder injury that forced him off the field for three months. Ryan is recovering from an illness and still wasn’t at 100% in his start on Saturday. And, it’s more than five months into the season, meaning some pitchers have either gone past, or are nearing, their previous career high in innings pitched.
In addition to giving their pitchers some extra time off, the Twins can continue to evaluate their starters, particularly the younger ones, as they assess how each piece fits into their future.
“The main benefits are, you’re just giving opportunities to more guys and seeing what they can do,” manager Rocco Baldelli said earlier in the week. “That’s what I think the main benefit is. It’s not the days off. We have days off.”
The next time through the rotation, the Twins will also have to account for a doubleheader, which will be next Saturday against Cleveland.
The Twins are currently carrying an extra pitcher since rosters expanded at the beginning of the month, which Baldelli said allows them to keep six starters for the time being.
“There are a few different things that are involved when making those decisions — maybe more than a few,” Baldelli said. “Sometimes what is going on in your bullpen affects what you may end up doing in your rotation, and how many guys you can carry and different moves that you may or may not be able to make in your bullpen. You have to weigh it all.”
Briefly
The Twins will play host to the New York Yankees from Monday to Wednesday. All three games will begin at 6:40 p.m. Woods Richardson will face left-hander Carlos Rodón, who limited the Twins to one run on one hit over seven innings when he faced them in August. … Top prospect Walker Jenkins hit his second Triple-A home run in the Saints’ 11-7 win over the Columbus Clippers. It was his first blast at CHS Field.
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