Twins starter Chris Paddack battles through dead-arm phase – Twin Cities

OAKLAND, Calif. — The baseball he threw felt like a dumbbell, Chris Paddack said Friday night. The ball felt heavy, his body felt heavy.

For the second time this season, Paddack described having a numb arm after a start, which isn’t too surprising given the workload he’s had the past two seasons. Paddack underwent his second Tommy John surgery in May 2022 and entered this season after pitching just 27 1/3 major league innings the previous two seasons.

“We’ve got to keep at it. I’ve had a rough four weeks,” Paddack said after allowing three runs on five hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings against the Athletics. “Coming into June, my body felt a little heavy. You can prepare all offseason and all spring training, but you can’t prepare enough for a guy who hasn’t been able to throw that many innings in three years because of injury.”

The Twins haven’t done much to minimize his workload this season. He’s occasionally had a shorter start or two, but they haven’t missed one.

And so far, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said they aren’t ready to do anything differently with Paddack. But they will take the next day or two to assess the situation and then see where he stands, the manager said.

“There’s nothing – and I use the word acute a lot – but there’s nothing acute happening here,” Baldelli said. “Every season has its ups and downs, especially when you’re coming back from what you’re coming back from.”

Baldelli noted that Paddack felt that way a few weeks ago and then experienced a burst of speed after going through a weak arm period. Baldelli called the dramatic ups and downs in Paddack’s stuff “not unusual and not unexpected.”

But the Twins will continue to watch him closely to see if there is anything they can do for him.

“We knew it was going to be a rollercoaster of events, ups and downs for the body and mind,” Paddack said. “But … I have to prepare for my next start.”

Bullpen has a day off

Before Saturday’s game, Baldelli talked about how overloaded his team’s bullpen was after a string of close games. Bailey Ober has found a solution to that problem.

“Bullpens sometimes get beat just because of close games,” Ober said. “As a starting pitcher, sometimes your job is to go as far as you can and give them a break.”

How about nine innings?

Ober’s full game against the Athletics on Saturday meant a group of tired substitutes got a rest day. The team also has Monday off.

“We’ve really been waiting for something like this. You don’t usually get all nine innings,” Baldelli said. “… This is the kind of win and performance from Bailey Ober that can last a while beyond today. We have an off day on Monday. If you add this day and Monday together, you get a nice little reset for the bullpen.”

Meager

The Twins finish the series on Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum. It will be their last game at the stadium, which has been home to the Athletics since 1968. Starting next season, the A’s plan to play at the 14,000-seat Sutter Health Park in Sacramento through 2027 while their new stadium is built in Las Vegas. … Pablo López will start in that game, hoping to make a comeback after allowing five runs in four innings in his last game.