Kody Funderburk fills big void in Twins bullpen following mass departures

Kody Funderburk knows he was part of the problem. For four months, the lefthander disappointed his team, and himself, by giving up 14 runs in the 17 innings, more runs scored than batters struck out (12).

Worse, he found himself relegated to Class AAA four times — once, his callup lasted only one inning in Miami — making it difficult to settle in and feel comfortable with the Twins.

“That up-and-down game is really freaking hard,” Funderburk said. “I’m glad I went through that, to learn all the things I’ve learned, but it really is hard to go through.”

Everything changed at the trade deadline, though, when the Twins traded their five most effective relievers. With no other lefthanders healthy and on the 40-man roster, Funderburk knew he would probably remain in the major leagues for the rest of the season.

And he knew he didn’t want to be that guy with the 7.41 ERA, a pitcher used only because his team had no choice.

“I changed my mentality. I just said, [forget] whatever happened in the first half, whatever my numbers were. This is another Opening Day — I get to prove I can handle leveraged spots at the big-league level,” Funderburk said. “That mental shift really helped. I’m not that guy anymore — just go seize the opportunity.”

Positive thinking has never been so powerful.

His ERA in August and September is 0.90, and he had pitched 13 times in a tie game or with a narrow lead, something he was never trusted with until now. That included Friday night, when he pitched 1⅓ scoreless innings, striking out three after entering the game against Cleveland in the seventh inning with the score tied 2-2. He gave up a double to Gabriel Arias leading off the seventh but left him stranded on third.

“He’s got the stuff to do it. He’s got the head to do it. He can consistently make good pitches and throw strikes to both righthanders and lefthanders,” said manager Rocco Baldelli, the man who had to learn to trust him. “He has what it takes, and I want him to, on the mental side of things, feel really good about how he’s approached the challenge of the second half this year.”

Oh, he does.

“I’m really enjoying those chances. I’ve learned that high-leverage [situations], it puts pressure on hitters, too. They have to execute in a big spot, just like the pitcher,” Funderburk, who earned his first save of the season and second of his career by finishing off the Padres in the ninth inning Aug. 29. “Honestly, I feel I get away with a little more because of the pressure on them.”

In 10 days, he will head into an offseason with a reasonable expectation that he will be on the team next spring. But that means more work this winter, not less, he said.

Matt Wallner came out of Wednesday’s game with the Yankees complaining of a sore back, Baldelli said. Turns out, it was more serious than that.

“It’s an oblique strain, and he’s going on the [injured list],” the manager said. “It was something we were hoping might be a day or two. But he’s going to miss some time. I think ultimately it very likely closes the book” on the season for the 27-year-old Forest Lake native.

Wallner ends his season with career highs in homers (22), walks (46) and strikeouts (114), not to mention triples (three) and stolen bases (four). He also finishes with a .202 batting average, a career worst, and a .776 OPS. There’s also a lingering sense of disappointment that he didn’t become a reliable run-producer, hitting .177 with runners in scoring position, and only once hitting a home run with more than one runner on base. He has only 40 RBI on the season.

The Twins recalled outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. from Class AAA St. Paul.

• Two Twins scouts departed the organization Friday. Freddie Thon, an East Coast crosschecker who also scouted Puerto Rico, left the organization to pursue opportunities with other teams. Walt Burrows, who oversaw players in the Pacific Northwest, Canada and Alaska, announced he is retiring after 10 years in the organization and more than 30 years total. Thon was the signing scout for Jose Miranda.