The Twins' bullpen has been much improved as Minnesota looks to get back to .500.
The Minnesota Twins’ bullpen was not seen as a strong suit at the season’s jumpstart. As a matter of fact, it hasn’t been.
But in the Twins’ dominant series sweep of the Boston Red Sox this weekend, their bullpen did not falter against a Boston team coming into the weekend fresh off of a sweep. Instead, they combined to allow just two earned runs in 13 innings of work, picking up each of their starters’ outings.
Holding down the Red Sox’s offense was especially crucial. Boston did their fair share of damage against the Twins’ starters, specifically Connor Prielipp, who allowed six earned runs in his Friday night start. But with enough production from the bats, the Twins found just enough to win out each day.
Minnesota now hovers closer to being a winning baseball team, now just one game under .500. It's easy to pinpoint where the Twins have found their production most, with big bright spots coming from their most coveted bats.
However, as they now find themselves on a four-game win streak, it is the bullpen that has helped them find that success.
This season, the Twins have sat towards the bottom of the league in bullpen ERA. Heading into Sunday, their 5.36 bullpen ERA is ranked as the 29th worst in the league, a big flaw for a team that has been productive in other areas. With them coming to form, that has translated to the win column, as the Twins currently hold a Wild Card position, though early in the year.
After early season woes, the lefties in the bullpen have been getting the job done. Taylor Rogers has had a solid recent month and has been very efficient in pitching out of jams. Anthony Banda, who rejuvenated himself with the Dodgers in the recent couple seasons, has looked like his former self in allowing one run in his last seven outings after struggling to start the year.
The Twins have also seen some newcomers strive in their roles. Southpaw Kendry Rojas tossed three scoreless innings in relief on Saturday, now owning a 1.26 ERA through 14.1 innings of work this season, going multiple innings in each outing.
Righty Yoendry Gómez has seen a similar suit as Banda. After a poor start, he has posted a 1.17 ERA in his last nine outings, including two efficient ones against Boston. Travis Adams been efficient in his opportunities as well, not allowing a run in his last three outings.
The flawed bullpen saw many question marks heading into the season. Those will still remain, but with the many positives of their current win streak, the sight is promising for Derek Shelton’s squad that has a chance to compete in a weakened American League.
