The Yakker

R.A. stands for rancid and atrocious

The Twins acquisition of veteran shortstop Orlando Cabrera is a nice move as he’s clearly better than the options they had in house, but there is one question, “Can he pitch?” After a weekend series with the Angels in which they were outscored 35-15 and outhit 52-30, it was a lackluster effort on all accounts, but clearly one that improved pitching could’ve reduced the damage.

“It seemed like everyone they sent up there had two hits,” Twins first baseman Justin Morneau told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

That should come as no surprise given the fact the team ERA sits at the high water mark (4.65) since 2000, when they posted a 5.14 ERA on 93-loss squad. “You have to suck it up in this game,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “No one is going to feel sorry for you. We have to find a way and we have to figure out how to get people out and get the ball where we need to get it. The solutions are few and far between after general manager Bill Smith failed to acquire pitching help at the trading deadline. The first might be wait for a team to pass any veteran starting pitcher through waivers and then put on your negotiating tap shoes to get something done asap. The second and far more likely scenario would be combing through the upper levels of your minor league system for possible help.

A reliever like Anthony Slama could certainly help a bullpen that is clearly overworked and licking it’s wounds. Sure, he hasn’t pitched above Double-A, but a 12.6 dominance rate (K/9IP) and 2.8 command rate (K/BB) suggest that the worst case scenario would be still slightly better than guys like R.A. Dickey and Bobby Keppel. Hell, at least Slama has an idea where his pitches are going when he releases them and no, I’m not referring to the upper deck seats above the right field baggy. Other possible names to watch might include Rob Delaney, Jeff Manship, Armando Gabino, and Phil Humber. None possess the upside of Slama, but again, a worst case scenario is as bad as Dickey and Keppel. Slama has long-term potential in fantasy leagues, but it’s likely a couple more years before he carves out a role at the major league level.

So the Twins stare the postseason in the crosshairs and know what they need to do–find pitching. If they don’t soon, it may be time to schedule a bullpen session for Cabrera.