Twins add Louie Varland as 27th man for doubleheader against Athletics
The Twins have added right-handed pitcher Louie Varland as their 27th man for Sunday's doubleheader against the Oakland Athletics at Target Field in Minneapolis.
Saturday's game between the Twins at Athletics was postponed due to rain, setting up a split doubleheader on Sunday. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Varland will be available for the team out of the bullpen and will likely be called upon to pitch multiple innings.
"I think he could pitch in some different types of scenarios," Baldelli said. "He could go out there, and hopefully this isn't the case, but he could throw five innings for us (Sunday) if we needed him to basically make a start. It gives us some good backup on a day where we have two games and it's very hot and we have a lot of innings, a lot of baseball to play. So he could do that, or he could come in and give us a little bit of a shorter outing, but being able to bring (Varland) in is a nice luxury."
Bailey Ober is starting Game 1 for the Twins, while Chris Paddack will get the nod in Game 2. JP Sears is starting Game 1 for the Athletics, while Joey Estes will get the Game 2 start.
Varland was recently called up by the Twins following a stretch in Triple-A to make a spot start against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday at Target Field. Varland pitched a stellar game, throwing five innings of one-hit ball and allowing no runs while walking just one and fanning three.
Varland will be available for both games of the doubleheader. Teams are allowed to add a 27th man to the roster for doubleheaders, but both teams have to agree on whether the players will be available for one or both of the games in the event the away team cannot get their player to the ballpark in time. The Athletics were able to get reliever Brady Basso to Target Field in time for the first game of the doubleheader, so both players will be available for both games.
First pitch for Game 1 is set for 1:10 p.m., while Game 2 is scheduled for a 6:40 p.m. first pitch.