MINNEAPOLIS -- Simeon Woods Richardson’s funk has reached five starts, and it remains baffling.
Woods Richardson, a beacon of stability for the Twins’ rotation in the second half last season, opened the year with a pair of solid outings but since then has scuffled. The latest rough performance came in a 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday in which he was reached for a pair of homers among nine hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Over his past five starts, Woods Richardson has an 8.60 ERA with 11 strikeouts and 11 walks in 23 innings. He hasn’t gotten an out in the sixth since April 5, and has allowed at least one homer in every start this year.
There’s no one obvious culprit for the struggles. His stuff is not appreciably worse. His four-seam fastball velocity is down a tick from last year, but that’s one pitch that has remained effective. It seems to be mostly a matter of location and execution, and perhaps to some extent pitch selection.
“I think we’re just falling behind sometimes,” he said. “Some guys put some good swings on some balls out of the zone, but sometimes we’re putting ourselves behind the zone. [Fewer] walks today, which was great. A small win at the end of the day, but yeah, execution.”
There are a few things that stand out. Woods Richardson’s splitter, a key pitch in his strong run to finish last year, is getting hit hard. The split is actually coming in at slightly increased velocity and with more movement. But he’s not landing it in the zone as much. That, combined with hitters’ knowledge that he wants to use the pitch aggressively, could add up to it taking damage.
“Maybe go back to the table as a usage thing,” he said. “I mean, if it’s a good pitch, why wouldn’t people sit on it? That’s just the reality of it. Maybe a usage thing. I still think I’m executing it really well.”
Woods Richardson’s slider has also suffered this year, taking a great deal of the damage Friday and throughout the year. It adds up to a pitcher who is searching for answers, in the midst of a rotation that is otherwise thriving.
“I think the pitch execution is probably the biggest thing,” manager Derek Shelton said. “That would be probably the thing that I would point to. And we know he has the ability to do it, because… we’ve seen it in the past. We’ve just got to get it back to the split being out of the middle of the plate and up, and work from there.”
At the moment, the Twins don’t have a great deal of choices other than to ride it out and trust that Woods Richardson will find it again. Zebby Matthews has pitched better lately at Triple-A St. Paul after a slow start, but he hasn’t pitched deep into games even as his results have improved. He’s really the only viable alternative at the moment, until Mick Abel returns from the injured list.
And even if the Twins were to choose to recall Matthews, that brings its own set of complications. Woods Richardson doesn’t have Minor League options, and he doesn’t have the kind of repertoire that would translate naturally to a bullpen role. There’s no obvious other way to use him than in the rotation.
Still, Abel is building toward a return, and thus far, Connor Prielipp has impressed in a brief stint in his place. It’s not unreasonable to think that when Abel is ready to be activated, the club will have a decision to make. Woods Richardson’s performance over the longer term has unquestionably earned him a certain amount of leeway, but Shelton frequently refers to the fact that roster spots and roles are a meritocracy.
Twins tidbits
Emmanuel Rodriguez, the Twins' No. 4 prospect and No. 64 in the MLB Pipeline Top 100, sustained a left thumb injury sliding into first base for Triple-A St. Paul on Friday night. He was removed from the game. … Catcher Victor Caratini endured what appeared to be a nasty collision with Daulton Varsho on a play at the plate early in Friday’s game but remained in. … Byron Buxton homered for the fourth time in five games and has 11 hits in his last six games.