The Minnesota Twins are now 4-10 on the 2025 Major League Baseball season, not the start manager Rocco Baldelli hoping for when he gave his World Series dream speech to the team early in Spring Training.
In their latest loss, a 7-6 blown lead against the Detroit Tigers, it was the bullpen that couldn’t hold itself together. After David Festa went 4.2 innings (64 pitches) without allowing an earned run, Rocco turned the game over to lefty reliever Danny Coulombe.
He repaid the early hook on Festa by striking out Tigers’ lefty Kerry Carpenter and successfully ending the top of the 5th inning.
Unfortunately, Jorge Alcala entered in the 6th and gave up 4 earned runs on 2 hits and 2 walks, without ever recording an out.
Minnesota Twins bullpen already stretched too thin vs Tigers
Now down 5-4, the Minnesota Twins bullpen was forced to enter survival mode. Justin Topa was thrown out for 1.2 innings of duty, before Scott Blewett allowed the losing run in his 1.2 innings, to close out the contest. Both relievers threw over 35 pitchers.
| Pitchers vs DET | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | PC-ST | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Festa | 4.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 64-41 | 0.00 |
| D. Coulombe | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6-4 | 0.00 |
| J. Alcala | 0.0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23-15 | 15.75 |
| J. Topa | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37-23 | 0.00 |
| S. Blewett | 2.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36-23 | 1.93 |
| Team | 9.0 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 166-106 |
And thus, only one game into this home series against Detroit, the Minnesota Twins’ are facing reliever fatigue’ bullpen is tired.
Blame Rocco for the quick hook or blame Jorge Alcala for his continued MLB failures. Either way, the Twins’ season is one game closer to going off the rails, before we even get to the 25-game mark.
MN Twins recall Kody Funderburk, DFA Scott Blewett
On Saturday morning, ahead of game two vs the Tigers, Minnesota made a roster move to try and restock their bullpen (yet again). The final pitcher Friday night, RHP Scott Blewett, was Designated for Assignment. Recalled from St. Paul to take his place — left-handed reliever Kody Funderburk.
Given how well Chris Paddack’s 7.1 innings of work have gone so far this season (14.76 ERA, 2.59 WHIP), I’m not sure one lone call up will be enough to protect an already worn out Minnesota Twins bullpen from what it might be up against this afternoon.
While this isn’t Funderburk’s first MLB rodeo, it is the 28-year-old‘s first big league stint of 2025. He comes into this afternoon’s AL Central showdown with a career 5.01 ERA, 4.07 FIP and 1.436 WHIP in 46.2 major league innings.
Scott Blewett DFA could be risky…
More interesting to watch could be the DFA of Scott Blewett, who was brought in as a possible longer-term solution in the middle of the Twins bullpen this summer, not for two games.
But will he clear waivers and make it to St. Paul? The 29-year-old Blewett only has 33 innings (19 games) of MLB experience.
In that short sample size, however, he holds a 2.18 ERA, 204 ERA+ and a 3.51 FIP. In his 4 innings of work for the Twins this season, Blewett owns a 1.93 ERA, 1.48 FIP, 0.857 WHIP and a 227 ERA+. Obviously, Falvey could very well know something we don’t, but that doesn’t seem like a bullpen arm you let get through waivers.
