Sound the alarm after disturbing defeats

OAKLAND, CALIF - Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Tuesday pushed for a red flag to throw onto the field to request instant replay.

One press box veteran at the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum wondered what Gardenhire would have done if he had held a white flag during the Athletics' 16-1 rout of the Twins on Wednesday.

Since this is Flag Week in Twinsville, I have a couple of my own to hand out.

For Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson, I have a yellow flag. They're not being penalized. They're in a pennant race (as of now). Think of it as a caution flag, as the pair must repair the pitching staff.

The Twins aren't going anywhere if they don't pitch. The bullpen hasn't been a liability this year because the starters haven't had many short outings. The Twins went a month with an 11-man staff -- who does that anymore? But there suddenly are warning signs.

Twins starters have failed to last more than five innings seven times this month. That includes the five innings Nick Blackburn went on Monday and Glen Perkins' 12-batter, eight-run start on Wednesday.

The bullpen suddenly has been busy and has posted a 6.18 ERA during this road trip.

The entire staff has a July ERA of 5.32 -- the highest of any month this season. Twins pitchers have given up double-digit runs four times this month after doing so just once in June.

Oakland has a contact-deprived offense that began the series with the second-fewest runs scored in the American League -- but it hung 32 runs on the Twins in three games, ending their run of road series wins at five.

Gardenhire wanted to forget what happened on Wednesday but admitted: "Concerned? We just got beat 16-1. You have to be concerned."

There were concerns that the Twins didn't pitch inside enough on Monday, allowing the A's to dig in at the plate and dig out of a 10-run deficit. After Wednesday's game, it sounded as if the starters needed GPS to find the strike zone.

"For a long time, what we have been doing has worked pretty well," catcher Mike Redmond said. "The last few games we haven't been sharp. It's not pitching inside, it's not executing our pitches. Our command has been off.

"We have got to establish the strike zone before we start worrying about pitching guys inside."

Health suddenly has become an issue, too. Perkins informed the team after Wednesday's game that he's had problems with his shoulder since the All-Star break. Historically, the Twins haven't been too pleased with pitchers who have informed them of health problems after outings. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.

Righthander Kevin Slowey is going to try to pitch the rest of the season with a bone chip in his right wrist that will probably be removed during the offseason. Props to Slowey if he's willing to gut it out, but no one knows how effective he will be. Rookie righthander Anthony Swarzak suddenly looms as an important figure in the Twins' postseason chase. I've heard the Twins have been reluctant to part with him in trade talks, which now looks like a good move.

The other flag goes to GM Bill Smith. It's green, as in go -- go make a deal.

The middle infield needs to be addressed. I heard that Oakland's Orlando Cabrera can be had. What about Cristian Guzman? And while some might think that $9 million is too much to pay Freddy Sanchez in 2010, it's for one year. Thanks to Target Field, you're about to get PED injections -- Payroll Enhancing Dividends. The Twins can handle the salary. And late-inning relief hasn't been addressed since May of last year.

Trades aren't easy, but this team needs a jolt.

Green means go. The accelerator is on the right, Bill.

La Velle E. Neal III • lneal@startribune.com