News
Mijares a steady hand in setup role
Minnesota (63-63) vs. Baltimore (51-75), 7:10 p.m. CT
By Tyler Mason / MLB.com
08/26/09 12:53 AM ET
MINNEAPOLIS -- In 2008, relief pitcher Matt Guerrier established himself as Minnesota's eighth-inning setup man in front of closer Joe Nathan. But as the season went on, Guerrier began to wear down physically. The Twins have learned from that mistake a year later, as they look to protect Guerrier in the final months of the season. In doing so, perhaps no other pitcher has been as important as Jose Mijares. The left-handed Mijares is second on the team in appearances with 52, trailing only Guerrier's 61. After pitching a scoreless ninth inning in Tuesday's 7-6 win against the Orioles, Mijares has now gone 11 straight appearances without allowing a run. On the season, he's allowed earned runs in just eight of his 52 outings. "The ball's coming out of his hand right now probably as good as it has been all year," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. The 24-year-old Mijares has been most effective, said his skipper, when he's mixing in his changeup along with his fastball and slider. Gardenhire added that he and pitching coach Rick Anderson have told Mijares to rely a bit more on his changeup. "He's got a great changeup, and he's started using that again. That's a big pitch for him," Gardenhire said. "It's something he has to feel comfortable throwing in the first place, and the catcher has to call it too." Left-handed batters against Mijares this season are hitting just .133 with a .227 slugging percentage, as he's allowed just three extra-base hits in 75 at-bats against lefties. "It's always nice to have a power lefty guy that can go out there and make it tough on middle-of-the-lineup lefties coming up and give them a different look," Nathan said. On the flip side, right-handers have fared much better against Mijares, hitting at a rate of .278 while slugging .412. Gardenhire thinks Mijares' changeup -- or the lack thereof -- makes all the difference for the left-handed reliever against right-handed hitters. "If you look at his numbers, his numbers are really good getting lefties out," Gardenhire said. "There's a reason why all of a sudden this year he's struggling against righties, and that's probably because he's not using that pitch enough." Mijares made his Twins -- and Major League -- debut last year in mid-September and stepped right into late-inning action, making several eighth-inning appearances. Now nearing the end of his second season, Mijares' confidence in pressure situations continues to grow. So too does Minnesota's confidence in Mijares. "He's shown he can pitch in big games for us," Nathan said. "He's been doing good at it, and hopefully he can continue on this path. He's got a bright future ahead of him if he can do that." Pitching matchupMIN: RHP Nick Blackburn (8-8, 4.27 ERA)
Overcoming a rocky beginning, Blackburn posted one of his best starts of August against the Royals in his last outing. After allowing three runs and two homers in the first three innings, Blackburn threw four straight shutout innings and left after seven. Blackburn's outing against the Royals was his longest since July 10 against the White Sox. In the start before his outing against the Royals, Blackburn allowed six earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the Indians. He has made 26 starts this season but hasn't seen Baltimore yet. BAL: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (8-12, 5.45 ERA)
Guthrie pitched seven strong innings in his most recent outing and allowed just one run, which came on a homer. The right-hander has given up more home runs (29) than any other American League starter this season. Guthrie allowed two earned runs or fewer 17 times last season but has done it just five times this year. Guthrie, Baltimore's Opening Day starter, will try to throw through September for the first time in his career. Tidbits
Gardenhire said Tuesday that a test done on starting pitcher Francisco Liriano's left arm didn't show any problems. "Everything checked out really good on his elbow," Gardenhire said. The Twins skipper also said Boof Bonser, who has been out all season following surgery to repair a torn labrum, is "getting closer to facing hitters." Bonser has been rehabbing in Florida and continues to show progress. ... When Armando Gabino made his Major League debut Tuesday, he became the 22nd pitcher used by the Twins this season, the most utilized by Minnesota since 1995. The club record is 23, which was set in 1989. ... Justin Morneau's home run in the third inning Tuesday snapped a drought of 51 at-bats without a homer. The Twins are 18-8 when Morneau homers. Tickets
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• Thursday: Off-day
• Friday: Twins (Brian Duensing, 1-1, 4.91) vs. Rangers (Tommy Hunter, 6-2, 2.85), 7:10 p.m. CT
• Saturday: Twins (Carl Pavano, 11-9, 5.20) vs. Rangers (Scott Feldman, 13-4, 3.87), 6:10 p.m. CT
Tyler Mason is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
