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Minnesota’s bullpen goes nuclear again in loss to Astros

By Collin Kottke

May 31, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Hector Santiago (53) pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Hector Santiago (53) pitches in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Another day, another bullpen blow up for the Minnesota Twins.

It’s hard to not sound like a broken record over the past couple of days. The Minnesota Twins have been thrown into a three game series with the best team in baseball, that doesn’t make things easier, but the bullpen has looked like they should be pitching for the St. Paul Saints and not the Twins.

Hector Santiago got the start for the Twins and wasn’t a great help either. Santiago struggled through six innings while allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks. Minnesota had gotten the ballgame back in check though before the bullpen took over.

The top of the sixth was the last inning for Santiago and Alex Bregman again homered off of the Twins to give Houston a 6-2 lead. Things were looking bad at that point, but in the bottom half of the inning Minnesota made a comeback. Eddie Rosario hit a solo home run in the inning and was followed by a two-run homer from Jason Castro to make it 6-5. That’s all the Twins would get in that inning and that’s as close as it would be.

Ryan Pressly was, for some reason, called upon again to come in the game. Pressly immediately gave up a solo homer to George Springer. Pressly was pulled before recording an out and was given a ticket to Triple-A Rochester after the game.

Tyler Duffey was the next man up and also didn’t record an out. Duffey gave up four earned runs before he was pulled.

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Craig Breslow did come in and cleanup the inning, but that was the only bright spot from the Twins bullpen for the day.

Jason Wheeler was called on for the eighth inning and, you guessed it, it did not go well. Wheeler completed the inning but not before three runs scored. Wheeler was designated for assignment after the ballgame.

The second best pitcher of the day for the Twins was Chris Gimenez. Yes, backup catcher Chris Gimenez got the ninth inning and gave up a two-run home run. One of the real illustrations of the Twins’ pitching woes is the fact that Wednesday was Gimenez’s third pitching appearance of the season. It’s not even June yet.

May 31, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Astros outfielder George Springer (4) celebrates his home run in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Houston Astros outfielder George Springer (4) celebrates his home run in the fifth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

The final score ended up being a low-scoring football game and somehow the Texans had the better offense. Astros complete the sweep with a 17-6 victory.

The main takeaway? The Astros are really good and the Twins bullpen is now officially the worst in baseball. The Astros had six home runs on the day and the Twins had six runs.

What’s next for the Twins?

The Twins now head out to the West Coast for a four-game set with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California, United States of America, North America, Earth. Thursday’s game is set for 9:07 Central Standard Time.

Next: Twins management has a big decision to make

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