After yet another failed start yesterday the Twins sent Liam Hendriks back to Rochester and called up Cole DeVries to take his place in the starting rotation. The Twins staked Hendriks to a 6-1 lead in Detroit yesterday but he couldn’t hold the lead and manager Gardenhire was forced to pull Hendriks in the bottom of the fifth after he gave up a single, a walk, a double and a walk without retiring a batter.
Hendriks started four games in 2011 as a 22 year-old and eight games so far in 2012 and he is winless with a career mark of 0-7 and having given up 86 hits in 61.2 innings with a 6.71 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. Hendriks has pitched well in AAA Rochester but he can’t seem to transfer that success to the big leagues.
No pitcher in team franchise history has started 12 games and not put up a “W” going back to 1901. Here are the pitchers that have had 5 or more career starts in a Twins uniform and have not been credited with a victory.
1. RHP Liam Hendriks signed as an amateur free agent in 2007 has pitched in 12 games, all starts for Minnesota in 2011 and 2012 and his record stands at 0-7.
2. RHP Terry Felton a Twins 2nd round pick in 1976 pitched for the Twins from 1979-1982 and appeared in 55 games with 10 starts and finished his big league career with a 0-16 record and 3 saves. Felton had a career ERA of 5.53 and a 1.52 WHIP. Felton never pitched in the big leagues again.
3. LHP Bryan Oelkers was the Twins first round pick (4th over all) in 1982 and he pitched in 10 games, starting 8 for the Twins in 1983 and he put up an 0-5 record to go with his 8.65 ERA and his 2.13 WHIP. Oelkers was eventually traded to Cleveland where he won 3 games.
4. RHP Greg W. Harris was signed by the Twins as a free agent in April of 1995 after 7 big league seasons in San Diego and Colorado and he pitched in 7 games for Minnesota with 6 starts. The Twins released him in August after Harris went 0-5 with a 8.82 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP. Harris never pitched in the big leagues again.
5. RHP Shane Bowers was the Twins 21st round pick in 1993 and he pitched in Minnesota in 1997 starting all 5 games that he pitched in and posting an 0-3 record with a 8.05 ERA and a 1.84 WHIP. Bowers never threw another inning in the big leagues.
6. LHP Brad Thomas was signed by the Twins as a free agent in 1997 after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thomas pitched for the Twins in 2001 and 2003-2004 pitching in 11 games, starting 5 and posting an 0-3 record with a 9.89 ERA and a 2.16 WHIP. Thomas went on to pitch for the Tigers in 2010-2011 and went 6-3 there.