The Twins bullpen needed an outing like this.
Minnesota Twins right-hander Mike Paredes did not have the smoothest start to his big league career.
The 25-year-old was called up from Triple-A St. Paul on May 31 and thrown right into the fire at PNC Park, entering in the fifth inning of what turned into a 9-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But even with the rough entry, Twins manager Derek Shelton came away feeling good about what Paredes showed.
Shelton Backs His Young Arm
"I thought he did a good job. He saved our bullpen. Our bullpen's been extremely taxed. We had a bunch of guys down today, with just the usage we've had over this road trip," Shelton said after the game.
"But he came in a tough spot and didn't find the zone, but then settled down and did a really good job of keeping the game at bay."
Paredes stepped onto a big league mound for the first time with runners on second and third and one out, already trailing 5-0 after starter Zebby Matthews gave up seven earned runs in 4.1 innings.
He opened by throwing eight straight balls to walk two batters, and a sacrifice fly and a looping RBI single from Henry Davis pushed the deficit to 9-0 before the inning finally ended.
It was about as tough a spot as a pitcher could face in his debut, but Paredes regrouped quickly and threw three scoreless frames after that.
He finished with 3.2 innings pitched, two hits, one earned run and three strikeouts.
The Bullpen Needed the Breather
The timing of the call-up says a lot about where Minnesota stands right now.
The Twins have leaned on a revolving door of relief arms all season long, with 11 different pitchers recording saves through their first 60 games and no clear closer taking hold of the role.
Their bullpen posted a 4.70 ERA entering the Pittsburgh series, which ranked 26th in baseball, though a strong stretch since early May had started to bring that number down.
Injuries have only made things harder.
Bailey Ober recently landed on the injured list with right elbow inflammation, and the club designated Simeon Woods Richardson for assignment after he posted a league-worst 7.71 ERA through nine starts.
Paredes, a former 18th-round pick out of San Diego State in the 2021 draft, was promoted to fill Ober's roster spot after recording a 4.44 ERA with 54 strikeouts across 48.2 innings between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul this season.
Looking Ahead
Minnesota sits at 27-33 and has dropped five straight after getting swept in Pittsburgh.
Just a week ago the Twins were holding onto a wild card position, but the skid has pushed them seven games behind Cleveland in the AL Central.
The road back starts Monday night at Target Field against the White Sox, where Shelton and his club will try to get right after a 4-6 road trip that unraveled in its final five games.
