Kyle Gibson doesn’t get many mentions on this website, but when he is mentioned it’s usually us speculating about who the Twins should call up to replace him in the starting rotation. Gibson gave up 7 earned runs on Sunday, so, yeah, we’re going speculate again.
How about Bartolo Colon in place of Gibson? The 44-year-old signed with the Twins last week after the Braves released him.
“Big Sexy” is rocking a 8.14 ERA this season but he’s flashed brilliance a few times, including a gem back in April in which he allowed just one hit and one run over 7 innings. The old man still has some juice and it’s not far fetched to think he’d be a more consistent option than Gibson or rookie right-hander Felix Jorge, who got blasted for six runs in his last outing.
Right now, Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios and Adalberto Mejia are the only Twins starters deserving of a spot in the rotation. Hector Santiago has not been good and he’s currently on the DL with a back issue.
Colon has yet to make a start with the Rochester Red Wings and it’s not clear as to when he’ll take the mound. Minor league teams are at the All-Star break and the Red Wings have not named a starting pitcher for their next game on Thursday. Hypothetically, Colon could start Thursday, rest Friday-Tuesday and be ready to pitch for the Twins against the Yankees.
Look, Colon picked the Twins over returning to New York where he became a cult hero with the Mets. And according to the New York Post, the Mets were shocked Colon picked Minnesota. But he has a chance with the Twins to make the playoffs whereas the Mets are 9.5 games out of the wild-card picture.
Minnesota hasn’t announced the pitching order for the second half yet, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll come out the gates like this.
- at Astros on Friday – Ervin Santana
- at Astros on Saturday – Jose Berrios
- at Astros on Sunday – Adalberto Mejia
- vs. Yankees on Monday – Felix Jorge
- vs. Yankees on Tuesday – Kyle Gibson
Colon’s numbers are bad, but we’re talking about a guy who, at 43 years old, went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA and was an All-Star last season. The odds favor him pitching somewhere between 3.43 and 8.14, which is a whole heck of a lot better than Gibson’s 6.31 ERA and Jorge’s 10.57 ERA.
Phil Hughes probably deserves another look (eventually) after returning from injury and putting up back-to-back scoreless outings from the bullpen, but Colon clearly makes the most sense right now.
