6/22: Terry Ryan on Staying with Duffey; Gibson, the Bullpen and More

The Twins look to Gibson to get back on track over his final two starts. (Photo credit: Cold Omaha)

Terry Ryan saw what we all saw last night: Lot’s of offense, and Tyler Duffey’s inability to keep the Phillies’ bats at bay. The Minnesota Twins got out to a 4-1 lead but could not maintain it.

“It’s some kind of roller coaster we’re on here. That was an ideal game for Tyler to just, ‘Alright, let’s just put a lid on it.’ Shut them down and move forward, and get the bats going again,” said Ryan.

“Unfortunately, he let them right back in and put us in a tough spot — put himself in a tough spot. We had to go to the bullpen again way too early.”

On the flip side, as much as it was an ugly game, Kurt Suzuki and Brian Dozier are turning things around, and Joe Mauer and Robbie Grossman continue to have success at the plate.

“Everything about the offense and us bouncing back after we fell behind, all that stuff is good to see,” said Ryan. “Some of those guys are starting to swing the bat.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDM_MT_ZIyI

As for Duffey, Ryan was asked about his decision to leave him in the majors rather than to send him to Triple-A.

“Yeah, and?” he responded.

Asked if it was a difficult decision, he said: “Well, he hasn’t been performing very well, I will be the first to admit that. So we’re gonna hope that he can straighten this out up here, instead of having to send him back.”

Duffey’s next start will be at Yankee Stadium.

“It’s alright. That’s alright,” he said. “He knows what he’s doing, he’s gotta straighten some things out. There’s no doubt.”

Location, Ryan said, is the issue for him. “You saw it all last night,” he said. “Every replay they put on TV, the ball seemed to be right about the fat part of the plate. And up.”

The Twins bullpen has taken a lot of heat lately, but the starters aren’t giving them much help. Asked if it’s hard to evaluate the relievers given how poorly the starters have played, Ryan dismissed the notion.

“No. No, I mean, whenever they’re called upon they need to perform and respond. You don’t like to expose them that early, and there’s no bullpen that’s gonna be able to stand up to that kind of wear and tear,” he said.

“We’ve had them out there so much, it’s a little bit difficult to keep going to that thing so early. Consequently, I know our bullpen is talked about quite a bit here.”

He feels that he’s got the right personnel, however, as long as they are well rested.

“When our bullpen is rested, when our bullpen is lined up, they’re fine,” he said. “Granted, we don’t have a designated closer, I know that, [but] we have people that can finish off a game.”

Odds and ends

  • Oswaldo Arcia’s 10th day after being designated for assignment is Monday.
  • Trevor May will throw a full bullpen Friday, then he should do a rehab stint soon after if it goes well.
  • The team had a player’s meeting after batting practice today. “I don’t know what that would be about, but there’s a lot of things they talk about that are team meetings that don’t have much to do with the on-the-field activity. I don’t think much of it,” he said. “That’s like Spring Training. We have a meeting about every day down there — geez.”
  • Ryan will take calls on his relievers at the deadline. “If somebody calls, I listen. That’s just the way it should be,” he said. “That hasn’t changed in forever. Regardless of if you’re a buyer or a seller, somebody calls and they want to talk about one of your guys, it’s your responsibility to lend them your ear, for sure.”

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The Twins look to Gibson to get back on track over his final two starts. (Photo credit: Cold Omaha)

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