After yesterday's game Gardy announced that Scott Baker would miss his turn in the rotation because of the off-day next Thursday. That sets up Liriano, Radke and Santana to face the Tigers next weekend. That's smart, although I think it would have been even smarter to skip Silva. Without his sinker he might as well be throwing batting practice. His ERA as a starter (7.33) is a full run worse than Baker's. Moreover, Silva presents an alternative that Baker apparently does not: he can pitch out of the bullpen. His ERA as a reliever is 1.29!
Regardless of who it is, I do believe one starter needs to be dropped from the rotation. But not just for one start, because of an off-day. It should be permanent! That's right, I'm saying the Twins should go to a 4-man rotation for the rest of the season (and the playoffs, of course). IMHO, that's the only way we make the playoffs. I know all the arguments against it, but I don't believe they apply here. Three of our four starters are young enough to get by on 3 days rest occasionally; only Radke might be a bit overworked. That can be control with strict adherence to a pitch count. With our outstanding bullpen (including Silva) that should not present any problems.