The decision by Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli to remove Bailey Ober early in a recent game against the Mariners was described as “not that difficult of a call.” Baldelli has faced criticism for his quick hook on starting pitchers, with some believing it played a role in Sonny Gray not returning to the team this season. This year, despite a change in the rotation, Twins starters are still averaging less than five innings per game.
Against the Mariners, Ober pitched five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out seven. However, he was pulled after just 84 pitches, marking the first time since April 8th that he didn’t pitch more than five innings. Baldelli explained that Ober wasn’t throwing his best stuff, and the decision was made to avoid him running out of gas.
Baldelli acknowledged that Ober could have potentially gotten a few more outs, but felt it was the right time to make a change. He defended his decision by stating that Ober could have thrown more pitches if needed, but there were other fresh arms in the bullpen.
However, the state of the bullpen was debatable, as Baldelli had already used Cole Sands, who threw just 13 pitches, before taking him out of the game. The Twins bullpen has been heavily used in recent games, so the claim of having fresh arms was questioned.
Despite the rationale, Baldelli’s decision drew criticism, particularly as the bullpen struggled after Ober’s exit. While Baldelli tried to justify his move as preventing a potential meltdown, the eventual outcome still frustrated Twins fans, highlighting ongoing concerns about his management of starting pitchers.
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