Gardy: Deduno may be dealing with fatigue

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he believes that fatigue is one reason for right-hander Samuel Deduno's recent struggles.

After posting a 3.17 ERA through his first 13 starts, Deduno has allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 17 hits and three walks over his last two outings (11 2/3 innings), including Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Indians.

"I think he's starting to get up there in innings, and in August, arms start to get a little more tired," Gardenhire said. "It looks like he's out there, and he has to force it a little bit more and is working a little bit harder out there. Guys go through dead arms, and maybe he's there right now."

Deduno's velocity, however, has held steady, as his fastball averaged 90.4-mph on Tuesday, which is in line with his average fastball velocity of 90.2-mph this season, according to FanGraphs.com.

But Gardenhire said he's noticed a decline in Deduno's command, as he's had trouble locating his fastball in recent starts.

"[Tuesday], he was bouncing balls and threw some fastballs way out of the zone," Gardenhire said. "So it looks to me [like] he's a little dead-armed or a little tired. But if you ask him, he'll never admit it."