DETROIT – Kyle Gibson has started 188 games as a Twin. But as the first playoff series of his career approaches, the righthander is transitioning to a new role.
And that's fine with him.
Gibson met with Rocco Baldelli late last week and assured the manager he is ready to do whatever he's asked.
" Listen, I haven't played here for 6½ years to get this close to winning some playoff games and cause a fuss based on when I pitch and where I pitch and stuff like that," Gibson said he told Baldelli. " So wherever you think is best that I can help the team, that's where I'm going to go."
On Tuesday, it meant pitching the seventh and eighth innings in relief of Jake Odorizzi, an outing that didn't go as smooth as Gibson hoped, but it represented a reasonably good first step. Gibson — who fought E. coli in the spring and colitis last month — has a 7.14 ERA since Aug. 1, so while allowing one run and four hits over two innings wasn't ideal, it's also something Gibson and Baldelli feel he can build upon.
"Shortening him up is something we've discussed for a little while," Baldelli said. "A lot of it has to do with his physical state and taking advantage of his top form, as opposed to him grinding out these starts where he's throwing 100 pitches. We wanted to get the absolute best out of him — go out there and rip some sliders and some changeups, and have his top-end [velocity]. I think he enjoyed it."
He did, especially because Gibson says that, while he's not completely over his illness, he's a lot stronger than he was last month. He threw 43 pitches Tuesday (32 for strikes), and he's optimistic he can contribute from the bullpen.
"We'll see where it takes us. Some days it could be starting and going two or three innings, some days it could be coming in like [Tuesday]," Gibson said. "I'm just excited to get out there and pitch and keep feeling good."
Especially once the playoffs start. Gibson, who will get at least one more relief outing this week, according to Baldelli, could be playing for his roster spot, after all.
"I have no idea," he said at that notion. "I'm not too worried about that. I'm just excited to be pitching, excited with how I'm feeling physically, such a drastic difference from August."
Kepler progresses
Max Kepler bounded in from the outfield as batting practice ended, clearly energized by his first full workout on a baseball diamond in a couple of weeks. The outfielder took several cuts in the cage, ran the bases and caught fly balls — "an important day," Baldelli said, and a clear sign the tightness near his shoulder is not hampering him as much.
"I'm making progress, and I'm feeling better," confirmed Kepler, who hasn't been in the Twins' lineup for 10 days.
His status is tricky as the playoffs approach. Kepler is unlikely to play in Detroit, and given that he hasn't seen live pitching for a while, the Twins might prefer he sit out this weekend in Kansas City, too. But that means when the Twins open the playoffs on Oct. 4, Kepler will have sat out nearly three weeks.
"I'd like to get back in the swing of seeing live pitching," Kepler said. "But in the end, it comes down to: Do I feel ready to do it? The main key is not to have another setback."
Will he be ready for the postseason? "That's the plan," Kepler said. "That is the plan."
Etc.
• Marwin Gonzalez was scratched from the Twins' lineup an hour before Tuesday's game with a recurrence of tightness in his right oblique. The change of plans was precautionary, the Twins said.
• Mitch Garver's hip soreness is an impingement, Baldelli said, "which is exactly what we were hoping to hear." It's not expected to keep the catcher out of the lineup for long.
