Keuchel tossed five scoreless frames of long relief Sunday in the Twins’ 7-6 win over the Rangers in 13 innings, striking out three while scattering five hits and two walks.
After starting in each of his first three appearances with Minnesota, Keuchel ended up shifting to the bullpen to close out the weekend with the Twins bringing back Joe Ryan from the injured list Saturday. Though it may not have been manager Rocco Baldelli’s plan heading into Sunday’s contest, Keuchel ended up piggybacking starter Bailey Ober, who tossed just four innings before being lifted for what appeared to be performance-related reasons. After Ober put the Twins in a 5-0 hole heading into the fifth inning, Keuchel stepped and kept the Rangers off the board while the Twins rallied for four runs in the sixth and one run in the ninth to send the game to extras. Baldelli has yet to comment on Keuchel’s role moving forward, but it’s possible the veteran lefty gets another look as a starter as part of a six-man rotation on the heels of the stellar long-relief outing.