Monday, April 20, 2015

Not-so-random thoughts from the weekend

Two starts for Trevor May in this homestand, and just one walk. And even that was intentional.

The Twins passed up May twice this spring for a rotation role, first in selecting Tommy Milone for the fifth starter spot and then going with Mike Pelfrey to fill in for the suspended Ervin Santana. May is only here because Ricky Nolasco is sidelined. But I really don't see any advantage, when Nolasco returns, in sticking with Pelfrey over May when Nolasco returns from his DL stint. Certainly long-term the Twins are better off giving May a clean shot at establishing himself as a starter, and even short-term, if he's throwing strikes he's better than Pelfrey.

That's a decision the Twins don't have to make yet. The word is that Nolasco will be sent on a rehab assignment when he's eligible to come off the disabled list this week. So May figures to get at least one more start.

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I was listening to the radio broadcast while walking the beagle Sunday afternoon and the radio boys mentioned the "shutdown inning" concept after the Twins had a three-run inning. (That's when Cleveland plated the one run they got off May.) The idea is that it's especially important to keep the other team from scoring in the inning after your team has scored.

I will take that theory seriously when somebody explains when it's good to allow the other team to score. Would it have been OK for May to give up that run if the game was still scoreless?

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A better question, frankly, is how can they hide Tim Stauffer, Blaine Boyer AND Graham. On a 12-man staff, there's room for one scut reliever. And it's better to make that somebody with a serious chance to be good eventually. That's Graham. It isn't Stauffer or Boyer.

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