St. Paul – Mick Abel’s second rehab outing with the St. Paul Saints may not have been as sharp as his first. But the second-year big leaguer checked off many boxes in Tuesday night’s 21-2 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers.
“Coming into today, felt good throughout,” Abel said. “Definitely felt a little tired at the end, but I think that’s more making the jump from three [innings] and 45 [pitches] to five and 65, or whatever it was. I mean, just [my] body felt great, so I’m happy with that.”
Mick Abel went five full innings, throwing 61 pitches on six days’ rest in his second rehab outing. He allowed four hits, including a solo home run in the second to seven-year MLB veteran Abraham Toro, but had great command of the strike zone with no walks allowed while striking out five batters.
Getting through his second rehab outing without exceeding 65 pitches was an encouraging sign for Abel and the direction he’s heading in as he works to return to the Twins relatively soon.
Abel’s velocity was the one notable difference between Tuesday night’s start and his previous one in Toledo. Abel only threw 18 pitches over 95 MPH on Tuesday night, and none reached over 96.7 MPH. After the game, Abel wasn’t all too concerned with where his velocity was compared to his last time out. His execution on location far outweighed the heat behind it.
“Yeah, I was pumped,” said Abel. “The execution was really, really good. I was very pleased with that. Not to say I was expecting it, but I think for not throwing for a couple months in games, it’s been a pretty seamless getting back on the bump and staying in it mentally.”
As for the home run, it was just a part of the game. Saints public address announcer Lee Adams often coughs up a “whatever” when the opposing team hits a home run off the Saints. With the Saints’ lineup providing Abel an 8-0 lead after the first inning, his second-inning home run to Abraham Toro felt like an easy one to shrug off, akin to Adams’ response.
“I was laughing during the first,” said Abel. “I was like, ‘What in the world is going on right now? This is insane.’ It was definitely nice to… I didn’t have any long innings, per se, but it was fun. It was a new little wrinkle to have throw in there and something I haven’t had in a while to sit through.”
The 8-0 lead that Mick Abel had after the first and extended to 14-2 in his final inning of work, also allowed Abel to attack hitters throughout the rest of his outing.
Saints manager Brian Dinkelman was impressed with the results his rehabbing starter provided in a big victory to open the homestand.
“He was good,” said Dinkelman. “Very efficient, went five innings and threw 62 pitches, so I thought he looked really good, had good velo and the off-speeds looked crisp. So nice night for him.”
The Twins will evaluate how Abel’s body recovers on Wednesday before making an official decision on when and where his next start will be. But given how effective he was through five innings while keeping a low pitch count, it’s fair to say it won’t be too much longer before he rejoins a rotation with a spot open for his return.
“You go five innings, look healthy and hold your velo, and felt good the whole time,” said Dinkelman. “I think he’s about ready to go back up there.”
“It changes my perspective of the game in a way that stepping away from it in season, it’s a little shocking,” Mick Abel said, “not just to the body but the mind, because you get used to something for so long and out of nowhere it just kind of stops. I’m finally at a point now where I’m back in a groove, consistent with everything, and excited for whatever the next step is in this process, and just take it as it comes.”
