2 October 2023
A little more than halfway through the St. Paul Saints’ season, Louie Varland was told he’d be transitioning from a starting pitcher to a reliever so he could join the Twins’ bullpen for the stretch run.
He did not balk.
“I mean, it’s pitching in the big leagues,” he said.
The Twins won’t solidify their postseason roster until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, but it’s safe to assume Varland will be in the bullpen for Game 1 of the The Twins’ American League wild-card series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Since being recalled on Sept. 4, the North St. Paul graduate is 1-0 with a 1.50 earned-run average in seven appearances.
Varland, 25, didn’t expect to be here at this moment, pitching out of the bullpen in the major league playoffs.
“It was a complete surprise,” the right-hander said. “I guess there were talks about it, but I didn’t know about them.”
One thing that has changed for Varland since moving to short work is the velocity of his fastball, as high as 100 mph this season because, he said, he doesn’t have to pace himself in relief. But bullpen mate Emilio Pagán believes that Varland can bring that velocity back with him to the rotation.
“I haven’t said this to him yet, but I think when he goes back to a rotation — because he’s so talented, and has enough pitches to be a starter — I think he can be more like this,” the veteran reliever said. “I think he’s got the physical capability to throw at this intensity for a longer period than he probably realizes.”
In his last five appearances, he has given up zero runs, three hits and has struck out 13.
“I think he’s just scratching the surface,” Pagán said, “and I think these outings in the bullpen probably have — and if they haven’t probably will — opened his eyes to who he can be. So, he’s in a really good spot. He’s going to be ultra successful moving forward and I’m excited for him.”
Channel Zzzzz
Asked if he would spend Monday night trying to get some rest, Varland said, “I probably won’t be able to sleep.”
“I had trouble sleeping (Sunday) night because I was just up and thinking about it,” he added.
Not so for fellow East Metro rookie Matt Wallner.
“No,” he said. “I like sleep.”
An outfielder from Forest Lake with a big, left-handed bat, Wallner also has found a big role with the Twins after starting the season in St. Paul. In 75 big league games, he’s batting .249 with 41 home runs and 49 RBIs. The Twins are 44-32 when he plays.
“We’ll see (if I can sleep) tonight,” Wallner said. “But if nothing else, ZzzQuil should do the trick.”
Strikeout kings
Pablo Lopez will match up with Toronto’s Kevin Gausman in Game 1. Despite having another Cy Young Award candidate in Sonny Gray, it wasn’t a difficult decision for Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.
Lopez, 11-8 with a 3.66 ERA, has been at the top of the rotation since Opening Day, with Gray (8-8, 2.79) right behind him.
Instead of reshuffling everything in September and complicating their lives, I figured just let these guys stay on schedule and keep pitching,” Baldelli said. “The way it played out, I thought it played out pretty well.”
Lopez was second in the American League with 234 strikeouts in the regular season, right behind Gausman (12-9, 3.16) and his 237 K’s. Gausman has 65 strikeouts in 56⅓ career innings against the Twins but is 1-4 with a 6.35 ERA in 11 career starts against Minnesota in 11 major league seasons.
Asked if he knows why, Gausman said, “They always have a good team.”
Playoff CV
There has been a lot of talk about Twins veterans with playoff experience and how that experience might help the team snap an MLB-record, 18-game postseason skid.
Carlos Correa, Christian Vazquez, Michael A. Taylor and Dallas Keuchel pop immediately to mind because they won World Series titles, but don’t sleep on Pagán. This will be his fourth postseason appearance with four teams — Oakland, Tampa Bay and San Diego.
In nine postseason appearances, Pagán is 1-0 with two holds and a 2.25 earned-run average, and pitched in a division series for the Rays (2019) and Padres (2020). “Making the playoffs isn’t easy, so to do it with four teams is really, really cool,” he said.
In his last five postseason appearances, Pagán (5-2, 2.99 ERA) has allowed zero runs, two hits, two walks and fanned three.
“We’ve got a legitimate shot at this thing; I truly believe that,” he said. “It’s exciting. This is what we play for. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
Briefly
Varland and his brother, Gus, are with playoff teams this season. Unfortunately, the elder Varland, by a year, is on the 60-day injured list with a knee injury and won’t be able to pitch in the postseason. “That would have been really cool,” Louie said.