Anthony Swarzak Still Expected to Start Sunday

After Francisco Liriano left yesterday's game early and Anthony Swarzak was forced into a long relief situation, there seemed to be a question of whether or not Swarzak would be available on Sunday. Already tabbed as Sunday's starter due to Scott Baker being shut down through the All-Star break, if he went too long in relief it could have ruled him out. At which point the Twins would have had some interesting decisions to make.

Their main options would have been to:

• Allow Swarzak to pitch on what would essentially be four days' rest.
• Take a starter from Rochester for a spot start. Namely, the only ones who might deserve the shot: Kyle Gibson or Kevin Slowey.

While Gibson was a fun option to entertain, he would have been unavailable due to his appearance in The Futures Game. That would have left Slowey as the only real option to call up, and it doesn't seem like people in the Twins organization are in too big of a rush to get him back. He was also lit up in his first start back with triple-A, allowing two runs off four hits and a pair of hit batters. But his days of rest would have matched up just fine.

Yet none of this mattered in the end, as Swarzak was sharp and efficient in relief. In two great innings he threw just 31 pitches, meaning he wasn't wasted for Sunday and will keep the Twins from having to make another roster decision. I expect Swarzak to be fully rested and ready to go.