Target Field was basically empty but for a coach, a catcher and some grounds crew members, when Tyler Mahle arrived Wednesday evening to get acquainted with his new home. The righthander suited up, walked to the bullpen and gave his pitching arm a 20-minute workout.
"I was kind of nervous. As soon as I landed, I kind of felt like this was where I needed to be," said Mahle, acquired from Cincinnati for three of the Twins' top 20 prospects on Tuesday. "I texted my wife, 'I think you're going to like it here.' We're excited."
The Twins are too, and they'll get a firsthand look at their new pitching weapon on Friday. Mahle, who last pitched Saturday against the Orioles, will start Friday night's game with Toronto, facing traded-away former Twin Jose Berrios.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli called his Reds counterpart, David Bell, for a scouting report on his new starter.
"[Bell] said 'You can allow him to keep pitching. He will get stronger as the game goes on,' which is not something you see very often at the highest level of baseball. That's a rarity," Baldelli said. "But he's a guy that, as the game goes on, does get outs in different fashions. The stuff changes, and a lot of time, it improves. That's an exciting thing to hear."
Rarity, indeed — particularly the "keep pitching" part. Mahle has thrown at least 100 pitches 10 times in his last 13 starts, and only once in that three-month stretch threw fewer than 97. Baldelli's Twins? They've coaxed 100 pitches from a starter just six times in 2022, and not at all since June 26.
"I'm going to try to have the best start I can. If that turns into a complete game" — something no Twin has accomplished since Berrios, by coincidence, did it June 7, 2018 — "that's great," Mahle said. "If it turns into six innings and gives us a chance to win, that's what I'm striving to do."
Mahle went six innings Friday, allowing four earned runs (including three home runs) and struck out five. He settled for a no-decision after the Twins beat the Blue Jays 6-5 in 10 innings.
