CINCINNATI — When Tyler Naquin singled and Eugenio Suarez walked to open the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday, bringing the winning run to the plate, Alexander Colome says he remained positive, unfazed.
That wasn't always the case this year.
"It's been a test, a real tough test for me mentally. Early in the season, I kind of put negative thoughts in my mind because of everything that happened," the Twins reliever said Wednesday through an interpreter. "But I came back to being my old self now. I know how to close out games. I know how to get out of it."
He did, getting a popup, a strikeout and a game-ending groundout to finish off his third save of the season, and his first since April 7, in a 7-5 victory over the Reds.
Those are shocking numbers for a pitcher who is just two years removed from a 30-save season, and who led the American League with 47 in 2017. But Colome, who signed in February for $5 million plus a $5.5 million mutual option for next year (or a $1.25 million buyout), will get more of those ninth-inning chances, though probably not all of them, down the stretch, manager Rocco Baldelli said, especially with Hansel Robles and Taylor Rogers no longer in the picture this year.
He told the veteran closer as much in a meeting on Sunday, a development that mildly surprised Colome, but "the conversation was good. And last night, it felt really good" to convert a save, after blowing three of them in often-spectacular form since the last one.
His ERA remains at a career-worst 4.58, and he's given up six home runs, three of them which turned a lead or a tie into a loss, so he would probably have to turn into Mariano Rivera for two months to get the Twins to pick up that option for 2022. But he's grateful for their patience, he said.
"I know that through the rough patches, [the Twins] were there for me and tried to help me tweak some things to fix my pitches," he said. "They've helped me."
