The Twins announced today that Scott Baker will return to the Major League club.
Earlier this afternoon, the Twins handed down this press release, which states that Baker will be recalled before the Twins debut their second half on Thursday night against the underachieving Cleveland Indians. This is how Scott Baker fared in his time with the Red Wings:
GS IP H HR K BB ERA WHIP
7 44.0 44 3 41 18 2.92 1.26
While ESPN expects Liriano to get the start on Thursday, I doubt this will happen. Radke, who hasn't pitched since the 5th, will more than likely get the nod coming out of the gate on the 13th. Between travel time and possibly pitching in tonight's All Star game, I can't see Gardenhire giving Liriano the ball so soon. Liriano last pitched the 8th, and that extra day off would probably do him good. With Baker being called up, Silva should also be bumped to the end of the rotation in order to give his legs more time to heal. Here's how I see the rotation running through the 27th, the Twins first off day after the break:
Date Pitcher Opponent
7-13 Radke Cleveland
7-14 Liriano Cleveland
7-15 Santana Cleveland
7-16 Baker Cleveland
7-17 Silva Tampa Bay
7-18 Radke Tampa Bay
7-19 Liriano Tampa Bay
7-20 Santana Tampa Bay
7-21 Baker @ Cleveland
7-22 Silva @ Cleveland
7-23 Radke @ Cleveland
7-24 Liriano @ Chicago
7-25 Santana @ Chicago
7-26 Baker @ Chicago
I'm also in favor of this rotation because it matches our two best pitchers against the White Sox in the two first games of that series, and it also gives Scott Baker a shot to bring down the big dawgs. Welcome back, Scotty B. You're where you belong.