More bullpen shuffle

Jim Hoey threw 18
pitches Monday,
14 for strikes.

Jim Hoey looked good in his Twins debut Monday night, getting the last out of the seventh and breezing through the eighth. Jose Mijares was less impressive (six pitches, only two strikes) and definitely has to rank behind Glen Perkins in the bullpen heirarchy.

There certainly remain reasons to be skeptical of the idea of Perkins and Hoey as the primary set-up men, but the struggles of Joe Nathan and Mijares meant someone else had to be given the opportunity to get the big outs late. As long as Hoey and Perkins get those outs, all is well -- and both have the arms to do it, they merely lack the resume.

And now Alex Burnett has been shipped back out and Eric Hacker recalled. Hacker was pretty lousy in spring training, but he's pitched well in Rochester — 11 shutout innings, 10 strikeouts and no walks — and he makes more sense as the long man than Burnett does.

Eric Hacker made his
major league debut
in 2009 with Pittsburgh

Bullpen roles in progress:

Closer: Matt Capps
Setup 1: Perkins
Lefty 1: Mijares
MR1/SU2: Hoey
Lefty 2: Dusty Hughes
MR2: Nathan
Long: Hacker