Rocco Baldelli on relief help: Key addition could benefit entire bullpen

CLEVELAND – If there's been one consolation Emilio Pagan can take from his recent run of bad performances, it's that he hasn't been directly liable for every Twins loss against Cleveland. Only four out of five.

He relinquished a two-run homer to Franmil Reyes in the eighth inning on June 21, with the Twins going on to lose 6-5 in the 11th. The next day, he struck out the side in the eighth inning with the Twins up 10-7, only to give up an RBI double to Josh Naylor in the ninth that started the Guardians' comeback in an 11-10 victory. He had a one-run lead in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader, but surrendered a two-RBI single to Amed Rosario in the eighth to lose 3-2. And after the Twins created a three-run gap in the top of the 10th Wednesday, Pagan again fueled Cleveland's rally, allowing an RBI double to Rosario in the bottom half in an eventual 7-6 defeat.

Given all that, there is an alternate universe out there where Pagan wasn't in those games, and the Twins went nine games ahead of Cleveland in the American League Central. Instead, the Twins hold a slim one-game lead. And Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is now facing questions about what bullpen help his team might need before the trade deadline in about a month.

Baldelli said he'd rather focus on the players he has now and making sure they're throwing strikes instead of dreaming of what arms might be available on the market. But he did acknowledge how even one key addition can benefit the whole bullpen.

"When you add pieces toward the end of a bullpen and then you push everybody down, it allows people to probably relax a little bit," Baldelli said. "And it strengthens the entire group when that happens."

Pagan didn't pitch in Thursday' 5-3 loss — another late-game squandering of a lead — but one could argue that his struggles in the 10-inning loss Wednesday shortened the Twins' bullpen to the point of forcing Tyler Thornburg — who has been with the team for less than a month — to pitch the final two crucial innings.

Thornburg gave up four runs — three earned, including Andres Gimenez's walkoff homer — and three walks plus a hit batter Thursday. That's a contrast from his four previous outings where he didn't allow a run and allowed only two hits and three walks with four strikeouts.

Thornburg has been in the majors since 2012, bouncing around teams and up and down from the minors. And he could be in for another move, as the Twins might need to a fresh arm before starting Friday's series against Baltimore.

"I feel like when you're living that kind of lifestyle, that kind of thing is always there," Thornburg said of potentially being designated for assignment. "… Some guys do really well, and that stuff happens. That's out of my control."

While the Twins' bullpen is in a state of disrepair, that's not pitching coach Wes Johnson's problem anymore. He coached his final game for the Twins on Friday and flew back to Minnesota with them. He'll make his way to his new job as pitching coach at LSU soon.

The Twins plan to announce his replacement ahead of Friday's game at Target Field. Bullpen coach Pete Maki has shadowed Johnson and Baldelli in the dugout during this Cleveland series, while run prevention coordinator Colby Suggs was stationed in the bullpen.

Ryan Jeffers came in for catcher Gary Sanchez in the bottom of the ninth after Sanchez suffered an injury. An inning before, Sanchez seemed to just barely tag out Ernie Clement in a rundown between third and home.

Baldelli said it was Sanchez's heel that bothered him, and the catcher had imaging done after the game that didn't show any serious damage. Baldelli said Jeffers will likely catch Friday's series opener against Baltimore.