Improvement by Twins starters should limit bullpen disasters

MIAMI – The Twins were only three outs away Thursday. They were three outs from a sweep of the Marlins, a 6-1 road trip and a flight to the Twin Cities with a fairly well-rested and effective pitching staff for 10 games against the Royals, Braves and Indians.

They will settle for a 5-2 road trip after their 5-4, 12-inning loss to the Marlins, but will head home with their starting rotation in a good groove.

"I think our starters have done a nice job over the course of the last week and put us in a good spot where we have not had to overuse our bullpen, really," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "Our guys have pitched but I don't think they've pitched too much."

The only thing that might have backfired was removing Jose Berrios after seven stellar innings — and only 81 pitches — on Wednesday. The game got a little sideways in the ninth inning when Sean Poppen gave up a grand slam and Taylor Rogers was summoned to finish that game. When San Dyson struggled in the ninth inning in his Twins debut a day later and had to come out, Baldelli had to use Rogers for a third consecutive game.

If the rotation maintains its current form, those nights will be rare.

Righthander Michael Pineda continued his run of strong outings Thursday, holding Miami to one run over six innings on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Over his past nine starts, Pineda has posted a 2.72 ERA to lower his season ERA to 4.15.

Twins starting pitchers posted a 2.01 ERA on the road trip and logged quality starts in six of the seven games; the seventh start was Jake Odorizzi's 5⅔-inning victory Monday. Performances like that will take pressure off the bullpen in most cases. The rotation is in good shape as the Twins begin a homestand against the Royals, Braves and Indians on Friday.

"We have a great rotation and we have a great team, so sometimes we have a bad game or whatever it is," he said. "But this is how baseball works. I believe in my team and I know this is a really good team and we are going to play better [Friday] and we are going to win."

C.J. Cron hit an opposite-field home run Thursday on his rehab assignment at Class A Fort Myers and is set to be activated from the injured list during the Royals series. While the Twins will welcome the first baseman back with open arms, they won't welcome the accompanying dilemma.

With Cron recovered from right thumb inflammation, the Twins will be as healthy as they have been in several weeks. Only multi-positional Willians Astudillo (left oblique) and outfielder Lamonte Wade (right thumb) will remain on the IL, and they are long-term injuries. But the Twins must make room on the 25-man roster for Cron, and their bench looks to be filled. On Thursday, Marwin Gonzalez, Jonathan Schoop, Mitch Garver and Nelson Cruz were on the bench. Ehire Adrianza, who started at first, is too valuable of a utility player to let go and is out of options. Luis Arraez has made himself too valuable of a hitter to send down.

It points to the Twins sending one of their 13 pitchers down and going with a seven-man bullpen as long as they can.

In additon, daily lineup decisions will become even tougher with all of Baldelli's first-choice players at his disposal. But a couple players who deserve to play more will have to sit out games as Baldelli juggles his deep roster.