Michael Pineda last pitched at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2017. That was his last start before needing Tommy John surgery.
He's returned from that surgery, but his pitching suggests that he's not all the way back. He's 2-2 with a 6.21 ERA, and has really struggled to throw his slider effectively.Â
How long will Pineda need to get his command and the quality of his pitches to acceptable levels? You can't expect someone coming off of Tommy John surgery to have everything working right away. And some pitchers are never the same.
So we'll see if Pineda, pitching in a familliar place, can regain his form.
That is, of course, if the game is played. It's cold and it's wet. And the forecast suggests that this is going to be a long day. But it's the only time the Twins are in New York, so there is motivation to get this game in.
Some Twins were looking at open dates in the event the game is postponed. We should know more in about an hour. There are a few Yankees players on the field at the moment, getting their throwing in.
And the gates have been opened, for what it's worth.
Schoop getting a break today....
Twins
Max Kepler, RF
Jorge Polanco, SS
Nelson Cruz, DH
Eddie Rosario, LF
C.J. Cron, 1B
Marwin Gonzalez, 3B
Ehire Adrianza, 2B
Jason Castro, C
Byron Buxton, CF
Michael Pineda, RHP
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La Velle E. Neal III has covered baseball for the Star Tribune since 1998 (the post-Knoblauch era). Born and raised in Chicago, he grew up following the White Sox and hating the Cubs. He attended both the University of Illinois and Illinois-Chicago and began his baseball writing career at the Kansas City Star. He can be heard occasionally on KFAN radio, lending his great baseball mind to Paul Allen and other hosts.
Phil Miller covered three seasons of Twins baseball, but that was at a different ballpark for a different newspaper. Now Miller returns to the baseball beat after joining the Star Tribune as the Gopher football writer in 2010, and he won't miss the dingy dome for a minute. In addition to the Twins and Gophers, Miller covered the Utah Jazz and the NBA for six years at The Salt Lake Tribune.
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