One interesting thing came out of today's game: Michael Tonkin is being stretched out to pitch multiple innings.
It's hard to call him a long reliever, but that's what the Twins appear to be doing here.
When the Twins set their bullpen on Tuesday, they seemed to miss someone to pitch long relief. The process began on Wednesday when he pitched three innings against Class A Delmarva of the Orioles organization. Tonkin gave up one earned run on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
``The first inning he breezed," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. ``Then he misfired a few. He got hit hard the second inning then his third inning he was good again."
The Twins need a long reliever after cutting Logan Darnell on Tuesday and Ricky Nolasco won a spot in the starting rotation. It's an interesting move for Tonkin, who throws as hard as 96 miles an hour when he can air it out for an inning. By stretching out, he might have to sacrifice velocity for more endurance.
Tonkin made 25 starts in the minors while moving through the system, none since 2011 when he was at Class A Beloit.
