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Twins’ Jhoan Duran in ‘good spot’ after mechanical adjustment

betsy helfand, pioneer press
·3 min read

Jhoan Duran questioned the pitch selection after allowing a walk-off home run to Will Brennan last week, saying he would have preferred to throw a first-pitch fastball rather than the curveball he ended up throwing.

That comment, manager Rocco Baldelli surmised, was a result of some pent-up frustration from the Twins’ closer, who wasn’t getting the results he was used to. On the Twins’ last road trip, Duran gave up home runs in three straight appearances.

But in his work with the Twins’ coaching staff, they identified a mechanical adjustment that Duran needed to make. That fix, he believes, will help bring his velocity back to the level that it was at previously.

“Right now, we found the spot we wanted,” Duran said of his mechanics. “It’s … better. We have a lot of time working on it. And right now, I feel (I’m) in the best spot this year.”

Duran said assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez pointed out that his arm motion was getting too long. They watched the video together while they were in Washington D.C., and then Duran made the fix.

That, he thinks, was leading to him throwing slightly slower.

“I had a little problem in my arm, and that’s why I don’t throw like I used to throw,” he said.

That, of course, seems funny to say when it comes to Duran considering he’s still averaging 100.3 mph on his four-seam fastball. But it’s down from the 101.8 mph he was throwing last season.

The closer began the series against Texas by throwing a pair of scoreless innings and picking up saves in both games.

“Now I feel in a good spot,” Duran said.

Lewis rehabs

Royce Lewis began his rehab assignment on Saturday with a single and then immediately stole second base as part of a 1-for-4 day.

While the stolen base is a sign that Lewis, who has been out since straining his quad on Opening Day, is feeling healthy, the stolen base is certainly something Twins coaches and training staff could do without — Baldelli said pregame that he was planning on calling Lewis to instruct him to not attempt another steal.

Lewis followed that up by going 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored on Sunday in the Saints’ 8-3 loss to Buffalo.

“I think we have to be pleased with the way he’s coming back and the way the medical staff has been able to handle him to this point,” Baldelli said.

Though it’s sometimes hard to tell how Lewis is actually doing — he always says he’s great, Baldelli said — all indications are that he’s doing well.

The Twins have not laid out the plan for him publicly, though given the length of his absence, it’s not expected to be just a couple day rehab assignment.

“There is a responsible progression that we know that guys coming back from certain types of injuries need to be able to fulfill and have to go out there and probably get a certain number of at-bats and make sure you’ve seen enough pitching where you feel comfortable coming back,” Baldelli said. “You’ve got to get in the field enough, have to make some plays, get the work done pregame, be on your feet all day long.”

Briefly

The Twins optioned reliever Kody Funderburk to Triple-A St. Paul after Sunday’s game and will announce a corresponding roster move on Monday. … Reliever Jay Jackson cleared waivers and will report to Triple-A. … The Twins moved a slumping Edouard Julien down in the lineup Sunday, inserting Trevor Larnach into the leadoff spot.

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