FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Kenta Maeda provided a tough act to follow on the mound Tuesday against Baltimore, but Alex Colomé was up for the challenge.
The newly signed right-hander has gotten sharper in each of his three outings this spring, and that upward trend continued with three strikeouts -- featuring five swinging strikes -- in a clean fourth inning as part of the Twins' 1-0 victory over the Orioles. That's not something that surprises Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli too much.
"Alex has always been a guy that, basically, the more he throws, the better he feels," Baldelli said. "There are a lot of guys that say that and you don't actually see it in results. He's actually a guy that says it, and for the most part [in] a few of the ways that we would look at things, the results say that."
Colomé had a messy debut with his new team last Wednesday against the Red Sox, when he allowed five hits, including a homer, and was charged with four runs. That improved to one hit allowed and two strikeouts in a scoreless frame against the Rays on Sunday and further escalated when he fanned Ryan Mountcastle, Pedro Severino and Austin Hays -- all with his cutter -- in Tuesday's win.
That's a welcome sign as the 32-year-old Colomé comes off an 0.81 ERA in 21 appearances with the White Sox last season. Tyler Duffey and Hansel Robles are also expected to pitch late in games, but the Twins have indicated that Colomé's closing experience and unique fastball-cutter combination make him a contender to finish games along with Taylor Rogers.
Expect to see plenty of Colomé on the mound this spring, too. As Baldelli indicated, the right-hander is different in his preparation for the season, and he could even ramp up into back-to-back appearances more quickly than his bullpen-mates.
"A lot of our guys have a somewhat similar progression, the way we would get them ready," Baldelli said. "And what we're going to do with Colomé is going to be a little bit unique. He might be the only guy that prepares in this particular way, getting a little bit more work in bunches."
Simmons, Happ continue ramping up into game shape
While almost all of the Twins' position players enjoyed Monday's off-day away from the complex, Andrelton Simmons came in by himself to take some ground balls at shortstop, hit in the cage and do a workout in the gym. Baldelli hopes that the extra work will help Simmons be ready for game action by Friday.
Simmons participated in his first day of camp on Sunday, when he cleared intake protocol following his late arrival in the United States due to delays in travel documentation for departure from his native Curaçao.
Left-hander J.A. Happ also threw a two-inning live batting practice session several days ago, Baldelli said, and could appear in a game "sometime very soon," though he did not offer any specifics. Happ was also a late arrival to camp due to a positive COVID-19 test upon intake. Baldelli still described Happ as being in a "good spot" but cautioned that his readiness for Opening Day would mostly be gauged in the coming two weeks.
"He was probably sharper than I was expecting based on what we know he's been through," Baldelli said. "But physically, he looks good. I don't want to forget he's not just a guy that's missed a little bit of time and is rejoining our camp. He's a guy that missed some time and also dealt with COVID."
Odorizzi bids Minnesota farewell
You wouldn't expect a newly signed pitcher to decline three calls in a row from his new pitching coach, but Jake Odorizzi powered through the calls to make sure he could finish thanking Twins fans, coaches and media members for the three years he spent in Minnesota. He had called the press conference himself, after all.
"I’ve made lasting, lifelong relationships with a lot of those people up here and [been] really fortunate for my time," Odorizzi said. "I truly, truly enjoyed my time in Minnesota."
Throughout a free-agent process that Odorizzi described as "one of the most frustrating experiences [he's] ever had," the right-hander said he held out hope that Minnesota would come calling once more. He was vocal throughout his final two years with the Twins that he would have been open to staying put, but he understood that a reunion appeared unlikely once the club agreed to terms with Happ.
"There were multiple times throughout my time where I tried to extend my time in Minnesota," Odorizzi said. "I gave it every effort to try to stay longer than what was on paper, and it didn’t happen. I loved my time in Minnesota. Maybe there’s a time to circle back after this stint’s done. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but it’s going to hold a special place in my heart for a long time."
Up next
The Twins originally had José Berríos lined up ahead of Maeda this spring, but they've flipped the two pitchers around after Monday's off-day. Berríos will start Wednesday's 12:05 p.m. CT contest against the Rays in Port Charlotte, Fla., coming off his scoreless two-inning spring debut last Wednesday. Baldelli did not shed further light on which of the right-handers could be lined up for Opening Day.
"At this point in the spring, we still have some flexibility to do whatever we want with our rotation," Baldelli said. "So we don’t have anything set in stone at this point. We’re going to continue to let our guys go out there to prepare, pitch, get ready for the season, and then kind of see where we’re sitting."