BRADENTON—When Terry Mulholland was nearing the end of his career and shuttling between the rotation and bullpen, the wily left-hander dubbed himself a "utility pitcher."
In the old days, back when you would be reading this missive on paper, pitchers such as Mulholland were called swingmen. They swung between starting and relieving, depending on need.
Left-hander Brian Duensing has been the epitome of a utility pitcher/swingman for the Twins in the last two seasons. He has show great utility in each role, making 22 and 55 relief appearances, posting a 2.93 ERA and allowing a .688 OPS when pitching in the rotation and 3.18 and .665 numbers when working out of the bullpen.
However, Duensing won't be the king of swing this season. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said Wednesday that Duensing will begin the season in the starting rotation.
Gardenhire gave reporters the news before the Twins beat the Pirates 4-2 in a Grapefruit League game at McKechnie Field. Duen...
Original Story:
