All 8 strikeouts from Michael Pineda yesterday. Is he currently in your playoff rotation? #MnTwins pic.twitter.com/PTc6o6gFcY

— Cooper (@CoopCarlson) September 8, 2020

A Look Back…

In 2019, Pineda was one of the Twins’ most reliable starting pitchers. Jake Odorizzi was an All-Star and Berrios pitched well for most of the season, but it was Michael Pineda who looked like the staff ace as the schedule rolled into September.

In his first year with the Twins, Pineda pitched in 26 games for a 11-5 record. His 1.16 WHIP was the best on the team, for any pitcher with 70+ innings. Michael’s 4.01 ERA isn’t terrible, but it’s bloated to 4+ because of the front half of the season.

After the All-Star break, Pineda became the Twins best pitcher. In his 14 appearances, he pitched 82 innings and had a 2.41 ERA. It all began in a 10-5 over the Mariners on June 13, where he gave up just one run. After that game, he had just two appearances where he gave up more than three runs.

Since July 1 of 2019, Michael Pineda (#MNTwins) ranks 5th among American League starting pitchers in ERA (min. 70 IP).

1. Justin Verlander – 2.30
2. Gerrit Cole – 2.33
3. Mike Clevinger – 2.35
4. Shane Bieber – 2.42
*5. Michael Pineda* – 2.86#PlayoffCaliber

— Matthew Taylor (@MatthewTaylorMN) September 8, 2020

Pineda’s return

Since his return, Michael Pineda has started two games and he’s picked up right where he left off. He’s given up just two runs in his first two outings back. In his first start against the White Sox, Pineda surrendered just two runs on six hits and held Chicago scoreless after the first inning.

Michael Pineda from June 1-Sept 6 2019: 3.10 ERA, 90 K, 87 IP.

This season: 2.77 ERA, 12 K, 13 IP.

Will say it again — losing Pineda crushed the #MNTwins‘ playoff chances last year. He’s been one of their best pitchers and he’s already back in top form.

— danhayesmlb (@DanHayesMLB) September 7, 2020

On Monday, Pineda picked up his first win. He lasted for seven innings and gave up just two runs on three hits, striking out eight in the process.

Having Big Mike back, and in his top form, is huge for the Twins. The pitching staff has had to hold the team together, with the bats slow to heat up. Pineda helps that cause tremendously, giving his team a shot to win each time he’s on the mound.

Maeda has been consistently good and so was Dobnak, before Tuesday evening. You also have Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi, if he can get healthy again. It’s hard to say yet what the rotation will look like come playoffs, but Pineda is giving Baldelli another weapon in an already deep starting rotation.

So far, Pineda looks like a weapon that might be best used for a game 1’s come October…

AJ Condon | Minnesota Sports Fan

#BREAKING sources tell me SP Michael Pineda will be returning to the #MNTwins on a 2 year deal. More details to come

— Pierre Noujaim (@TheNoujFOX9) December 6, 2019

Baseball source: Deal is pending a physical, but Michael Pineda is headed back to the #MNTwins on a 2-year deal for $20m. https://t.co/k3rYvIjLc1

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesMLB) December 6, 2019

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Hello Minnesota Sports Fam!

I’m here and happy to announce that the Twins have signed another pitcher. They will be the first to tell you that this is now the second top free agent pitcher that they have picked up this free agency season. The only problem that any honest and knowledgeable onlooker will quickly point out though… is that those two pitchers (both Michael Pineda and Jake Odorizzi) were on this team already last year.

Sure, Pineda dropped out for cheating (eligible again in May, 2020 – 60 game suspension), before it was all over, but it’s not the first time he’s been busted doing illegal things on a baseball field so who’s to say that won’t happen again? Jake Odorizzi was part of the same rotation that got bent over and spanked by the Yankees in the ALDS…. so what are we going to do to change that?

Nothing yet apparently…

If Michael Pineda ends up on a rotation where he is the 5th (maybe 4th in a pinch) starter. A rotation that also includes a newly signed BONIFIED Ace… then this is a great signing. Michael Pineda proved he is more than capable of pitching really well and contributing to a good staff. But, he isn’t a #3 – #4 pitcher in a good starting rotation.

If Stephen Strasburg and Garrett Cole really are off the radar, that leaves Madison Bumgarner and Hyun-Jin Ryu as top-tier pitching candidates worthy of a spot next to or ahead of Jose Berrios. Anything below that is unnacceptable. Time is ticking.

Grab a basket. Load your eggs into it. Let’s get to Spring Training.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Michael Pineda gets 60 game ban for PEDs

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 7, 2019

The Major League Baseball Players Association is releasing the following statement on behalf of Michael Pineda: pic.twitter.com/OauP9G1keI

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) September 7, 2019

Shoutout to the 'pen tonight!

Dyson@TheDoof13 @SergioRomo54 @trogers34

4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 Ks. #TwinsWin | #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/Xu6e82cmAM

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 28, 2019

Trevor May struck out the side in B7. #MNTwins lead 5-2.

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesMLB) August 29, 2019

Cody Stashak throws 2 scoreless and the #MNTwins win 8-2 to remain 3 1/2 in front of Cleveland. The Twins are 81-51 and 30 games over .500 for the 1st time since 9/25/10.
Jake Odorizzi improved to 14-6 w/ 8 Ks over 6 IP, 2 ER.

— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesMLB) August 29, 2019

Michael Pineda had another solid START to his outing on Tuesday but was the latest Twins starter to be pulled before the end of the 6th inning, with or without a bunch of runs already on the board. He threw just 89 pitches but 27 of them were in the 5th, his last inning. Jake Odorizzi had his best outing of late on Wednesday, going 6 innings, giving up just 2 runs on 5 hits, 2 BB, and 8 K. He threw 98 pitches.

The media this morning is trying to tout the Twins’ recent success on the mound as the turning of a corner, but I’m definitely not willing to go near there yet. The bullpen is VASTLY improved and the minimum amount they did at the trade deadline, nabbing Romo and Dyson, seems to be all of the push the team needed.

I don’t know if the starting staff has been THAT improved or if the Twins coaching staff is just asking them to do that much LESS…

I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about the best way for the Twins to line up their pitching staff for the playoffs, and one theme remains constant in my search. Our starters (outside of a GOOD Jose Berrios) can usually hold down the fort for 5 decent innings and I’d imagine they’d be even better if they knew 5 innings were all the coaching staff wanted out of them..

Is there a successful formula that has the likes of — Trevor May, Taylor Rogers, Sergio Romo, Cody Stashak, Tyler Duffey, Jose Alcala, Brusdar Graterol, and anyone else that proves effective out of the bullpen — taking over almost every playoff game by the 5th or 6th inning?

There could be.

Right now, the Twins are playing a game nearly every day, and when starters don’t take games into the later innings, your bullpen can get taxed quickly. However, in the playoffs, you will only get two games in a row, maximum, before getting a night off AND your rosters are expanded, so you have more options if those options can be successful.

I think this is what the Twins coaching staff is starting to look at, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more short starts from most of the staff, as we move toward the end of September. Can the bullpen continue to be this good, though? 

That’s the World Series question…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Twins and the Tigers played a doubleheader today/tonight and Detroit was able to keep the smouldering bats of the Minnesota lineup relatively quiet in game 1… so predictibly, it was bombs away in game 2.

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Mitch Garver's RBI TRIPLE puts the @Twins back on top!

? @fsnorth pic.twitter.com/UUQNekHi7s

— FOX Sports North (@fsnorth) May 12, 2019

Our nicest home run yet! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/irWSqZbb1p

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 12, 2019

It's May 11. We've hit 70 home runs so far this season. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/yVbX3sIEvy

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 12, 2019

Pitching 18 innings vs the #MNTwins?

More like walking 18 miles through a thick minefield… pic.twitter.com/VqSTwwNaMz

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) May 12, 2019

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It was a huge day for CJ Cron, who finished the day 5-8 with 4 RBI, 2 Runs and 2 HR. After many were talking about his offensive struggles recently, he now has a .261 batting average, is tied for 2nd in team homeruns, and 3rd in RBI.

The Twins pitching staff came up big again, too. Game 1 wasn’t as smooth as hoped. The Twins gave up 5 runs but Pineda had his best start yet. Unfortunately, Trevor Hildenberger struggled again, giving up 2 runs in the top of the 9th, after the offense had tied the game at 3-3 just before that. You can’t win them all, though.

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And of course after losing game-1, game-2 wasn’t even worth watching if you’re a Tigers fan. The Twins dominated the entire thing and didn’t even have to use a regular pitcher. They went from Kohl Stewart (who pitched 6 solid innings), into Matt Magill, Mike Morin, and finished with Tyler Duffey.

We stayed atop the MLB standings with the split and took command of the 4-game series, 2-1.

Tomorrow afternoon will be the game-4, and the final one of this series vs Detroit. It will also be a Twins win.

Guaranteed.

Our new Cy Young lefty, Martin Perez, is scheduled to take the mound and he just had a kid this week so he is riding high on new daddy confidence. There is absolutely NO CHANCE the Tigers have a shot of splitting this series tomorrow. The Twins might win by double-digits and Perez might throw a no-hitter.

Call me crazy now. Just make sure you hit that subscribe/follow button when I’m right.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Well, if you’re looking for Minnesota Twins coverage that will make you feel better about the home team, you might want to go over here, because this clearly isn’t where you’re going to find it…

Michael Pineda out for the year with a slight meniscus tear in his right knee. Still a chance of surgery.

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) August 28, 2018

Yes, this is bad news. Very bad news. Michael Pineda signed with the Twins in the offseason, even though he was coming off of Tommy John surgery, and was charging through his rehab assignment, when he left the game the other day with knee pain…

How often do you hear something related to knee pain turning into something that isn’t terrible? Never. And, sure enough, the news we are getting today clearly isn’t good.

How good was Michael Pineda looking, on his way back from Tommy John? Really good…

As Bollinger’s tweet notes at the top of this post, Pineda could require surgery on said Meniscus. Without surgery, some athletes are ready to go as early as 4-6 weeks. If he elects for surgery, the comeback road would be longer and, according to ClevelandClinic, could see as much as 6 weeks in a brace and crutches alone.

No matter the actions taken, we hope he’d be ready to roll for Spring Training. It’s just frustrating, given his previous injury and the success he was having en route back to the majors.

Also in Twins News:

Adalberto Mejia also had a bad day:

Also ruled out for the season: LHP Adalberto Mejia, whose nerve traction injury above left elbow will take more than the remaining five weeks to treat.

— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) August 28, 2018

After being traded to the Twins in 2016, Mejia was granted 94 innings last season where he posted decent numbers. But, this season when given the opportunity, he’s flourished, posting a 2.01 ERA over 22.1 innings. It’s a small sample size, but positive nonetheless. And, his numbers in the minors had been pretty damn good all season too. Here are tables for both the majors and minors for 2018:

Mejia would have had a nice opportunity to show off for the front office, in September, while he vied for a rotation spot for next year. Now, he’ll be watching the other competitors from the sideline.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan @RealMNSportsFan

It’s been reported that the Minnesota Twins are pursuing free agent DH/1B, Mike Napoli.

The 36 year-old is coming off an interesting one-year stint with the Rangers. Napoli finished last season with 29 home runs in only 124 games. However, his batting average (.193) closed below the Mendoza Line.

Statistics (last two years):

Unlike the chaotic pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, signing Napoli appears to only be a two-horse race. The over pampered New York Mets represent the pony standing a lane over. The Yankees are pure evil, but at least they win. Not only do the Mets suck, but their mascot can’t even keep his composure:

Minnesota recently signed Michael Pineada and Fernando Rodney to big league deals. Will Mike Napoli be the next domino to fall? If not, could it be a much more attractive (and expensive) piece; such as Yu Darvish?

Mike Napoli Information & Yu Darvish Update:

Mike Napoli
In 2016; Napoli and Derek Falvey were part of the Cleveland organization. When 2016 ended, “Falvey” left the State of Ohio for greener pastures, while Napoli headed south. But, before Mike punched his plane ticket, he had to take a phone call from a known voice in a new (and better) state. The call didn’t go as well as Falvey had hoped.

The right-handed hitter agreed to a one year, $8.5M deal with Texas. His reasoning for taking less money was a desire to play for a playoff team……… Joke’s on him, I guess.

It feels good to say that MN now falls into that “contender” category. Even though last season was at a discount, Mike Napoli is now a year-older and coming off that terrible batting average. It’ll be interesting to see how much he can command this time around.

Where would Napoli fit in? Last year, Chris Giminez played a large role as a leader in the Minnesota locker room. However, 2017’s backup catcher isn’t under contract for next year. Catcher, Mitch Garver is the Twin’s organization reigning Minor League Player of the Year. With Garver primed to join the majors in 2018, Giminez’s return is in great flux. Napoli could replace him as that clubhouse presence and provide some much-needed dingers from the DH/1B slot at the same time.

COUNTRY STRONG! HELL YES! LET’S GO!

If you can’t already tell, I’m biased as can be, on this one. I’ve always had a soft spot for Napoli. The man looks like he just came off the set of a Chevy truck commercial.

My only complaint against the bearded slugger is that he wears batting gloves. If I had a hand tattoo like this, I’d let that baby breathe. Imagine being a pitcher, looking at this:

Yu Darvish Update
The most recent developments on the hunt to sign Yu Darvish are in regards to the length of his future contract. The 31 year-old is looking to get himself as long of a deal as possible. Naturally. With the RHP set to go over 1,000 career innings this upcoming season, he and his agent don’t know where his game will be in two years.

Per the StarTribune, it would take a club record type of deal to land Darvish. Thus far, there have been no confirmed reports of him receiving an offer from the Twins or any of their competitors. The rumors floating around on Thursday, that Yu signed with the Cubs, weren’t true. That news was more fake than the whole “Balloon Boy Hoax.”

Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope you all enjoy your families and respective traditions. Speaking of traditions, cue the music:

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

Official: #MNTwins sign RHP Michael Pineda to two-year contract.

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) December 13, 2017

Today, the Twins made the splash everyone was waiting for. Well…. not really….

Michael Pineda can be argued as a number 1 starter, when healthy. Problem is… He’s not healthy. According to Twins Daily, Pineda is on a 14-month road to recovery, after surgery. He had the dreaded Tommy John shoulder surgery in July.

The deal is worth $10 Million total. $2 Million will be covered next year (2018), as he makes his comeback. The Twins are banking on his 2019 being a resurgence. They will pay him $8 Million that season. It also comes with a $3 signing bonus, according to Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino).

Max value of Pineda’s bonuses is $3 million, per source. #mntwins

— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) December 13, 2017

Michael Pineda’s Career:

The Dominican born right-hander will turn 29 in January. Pineda entered the majors in 2011 as a member of the Seattle Mariners. The then rookie, was selected to the All-Star game and finished his inaugural season with 3.74 ERA.

This resulted in the Evil Empire catching wind of him. The Yankees traded for Michael Pineda in January, 2012. Although he missed the next two seasons due to arm/shoulder issues, Pineda returned in 2014. That year he entered the clubhouse with an ERA below 2.00. Here are his career numbers:

I wouldn’t hold your breathe on Pineda going over 200+ innings in his career. Too many injury concerns to press the former All-Star like that. If he can find himself around that 175 inning mark in 2019 w/an ERA right around 4.00, the former Yankee will be a steal of deal. If he can somehow surpass those standards, that’s like playing with house money.

This offseason, Jake Arrieta is expected to land a four year deal worth close to $100 million. Our newest signing obviously isn’t Arrieta. I get that. THANKS! The point of the comparison was that the money Pineda will receive is a drop in the bucket for these big league organizations.

Yes. The rumors are true. His past includes a bit of a pine tar incident. In 2014, the righty was ejected and suspended for pitching with pine tar on his neck.

Michael Pineda’s health, not pine tar, remains sticking point for Yankees http://t.co/tfwvf6O2ow pic.twitter.com/0oSln5iytv

— NY Daily News Sports (@NYDNSports) February 12, 2015

It was a rivalry game vs the Bo Sox, so I let it pass. If you’re not cheating you’re not trying. Don’t believe me? Fine. Go ask Bill Belichick. Pineda apologized for his mistake and owned it like a man. The newest member of the MN Twins didn’t go George Brett on anybody:

Here are some quotes from Paul Molitor… he must have known he was going to see some spotlight today at winter meetings, after the signing..

Look at that jacket…. pic.twitter.com/0o5oFRdgH2

— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) December 13, 2017

Paul Molitor on signing Michael Pineda to a two-year deal: “I’m excited about it. We’re taking a risk on the upside for 2019.”

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) December 13, 2017

Molitor: “I had a nice conversation with (Pineda). He’s excited about the opportunity of coming to Minnesota. We all know when he’s healthy what he can do.”

— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) December 13, 2017

An educated reaction:

I totally dig it. https://t.co/pRBdS7gWdL

— Jeremy Nygaard (@jeremynygaard) December 13, 2017

The dollars are low. I don't think it needs to change much in terms of approach. https://t.co/aVqlEsHWpG

— Seth Stohs (@SethTweets) December 13, 2017

I'm really surprised by this move, but I like it. Very little risk, huge potential upside. https://t.co/Eb9Fgjp4t4

— Tom Froemming (@BaseballByTom) December 13, 2017

Over the past three seasons, Michael Pineda has averaged 9.46 K/9 and 1.98 BB/9. That 4.79 K:BB ratio ranks seventh among 78 pitchers with 400 IP over that stretch. Trails only Kershaw, Sale, Scherzer, Kluber, Bumgarner and Carrasco.

— Tom Froemming (@BaseballByTom) December 13, 2017

Twins signing Michael Pineda is similar to Cubs signing Drew Smyly yesterday. Give a formerly good pitcher some guaranteed money, help him rehab from surgery, and hope he comes back in 2019 as a solid contributor at a discount price. More creative thinking from Twins.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) December 13, 2017

The first major (kind of) free agent domino in these parts has fallen.

As explained, this signing is 100% geared for 2019. Keep in mind, both Joe Mauer and Ervin Santana (2019 team option on Santana) are on the last year of their contracts. When the 2018 season ceases, those deals are done. That’s almost $37 million off the books for 2019.

What to do with all that extra cash…

This piece was put together by Johnny (@TheJohnnyMN) and the Boss (@RealMNSportsFan)

Photo: Anthony Causi