The Minnesota Twins have experienced inconsistent play as a team and from individual players to start the season.
Jorge Alcala embodies this rocky start.
Of all pitchers who have played in over ten games, Alcala’s 7.54 ERA is the worst on the team. However, these statistics are slightly misleading.
If he retires the first batter, Alcala has a perfect 0.00 ERA. However, if the first batter reaches base, whether it’s a walk, hit, error, or any other way a hitter can reach base, he had an abysmal 14.46 ERA before Thursday’s game.
While most pitchers have had to work through innings with runners on the base paths, Alcala seems to struggle if that runner is the first batter of the inning.
Everyone got the full Alcala experience in the Athletics series.
In Tuesday’s win, he pitched two complete innings, facing the minimum number of batters while striking out four.
Meanwhile, Thursday’s loss was a completely different story. He came in with a runner on first and was in charge of just getting out of the inning that David Festa started. Needing one out to complete the fourth inning, it took Alcala five batters to complete this task.
He loaded the bases, gave up a grand slam, then gave up a double, before striking out Max Muncy to finally end the fourth.
He was charged with three earned runs in one-third of an inning.
Even a casual baseball fan can understand the importance of getting the first batter of an inning out or completing an inning when given runners on base.
Alcala debuted in 2019 with the Twins. He has had his fair share of struggles in the bigs, including two seasons where he dealt with arm issues (shoulder inflammation in 2022 and a stress fracture in his forearm in 2023).
Still, Alcala has shown glimpses of being a reliable arm out of the bullpen. Last year, he ended with a solid 4-3 record, a 3.24 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts. He also carried a career best in wins above replacement and his best opponent batting average in seasons where he faced at least ten batters.
So, where does manager Rocco Baldelli go from here?
Alcala has shown he can go multiple innings while giving up little to no damage. Still, he has yet to show he can handle the pressure of men on base this season.
While every player goes through ups and downs, when do those stop being one-offs and start looking like a trend?
Fans often criticize Baldelli for relying too heavily on veteran players and failing to make quick in-game adjustments.
Both critiques manifest in how he’s handled Alcala.
Fans are not asking Alcala to be as effective as Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran when they enter at the start of innings. They also don’t mind that he isn’t as clutch as Louis Varland or the injured Danny Coulombe when entering the game and inheriting runners on base.
However, fans would like Baldelli to have a quicker hook when it’s evident he just doesn’t have it in that game.
The other answer could be to send Alcala down to St. Paul like they did with Simeon Woods Richardson. Although Woods Richardson doesn’t project to be an ace, he has served up meatballs in high-leverage situations.
If they send Alcala to the minors, who would they call up?
Randy Dobnak has MLB experience and can eat innings like he did against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 30.
Richard Lovelady also has MLB experience. While he wasn’t as dominant as Dobnak, Lovelady has shown true potential for the Saints, posting a 1.65 ERA over 16 and a third, striking out 16, and recording four saves.
They just called up Travis Adams, another pitcher who can eat up innings and has been dominant for the Saints, with a 3.43 ERA over 42 innings of work.
In a competitive AL Central division, where one may argue three teams could make the playoffs, time may be fleeting regarding the need for consistency. Not knowing which Jorge Alcala they are calling in from the bullpen is challenging for Rocco and the coaching staff.
While you want to have faith that your veteran will figure it out, when does it make sense to cut your losses, especially if they have shown that they can be efficient in the past?
There is no right or wrong answer regarding these types of things. However, one thing is certain.
If Alcala lets the first man he faces aboard, it could be a long day for the Minnesota Twins.
