Swarzak did what Twins needed him to do

MINNEAPOLIS -- Pitcher Anthony Swarzak has said he's willing to do whatever the Minnesota Twins need him to do. In Friday's 9-3 loss against the Texas Rangers, that meant throwing six innings in relief after starter Brian Duensing was shelled in a seven-run second inning. Swarzak has been used as both a starter and reliever this year, but has been relegated to the bullpen following a few impressive spot starts. He entered Friday's game in the top of the third inning and pitched through the eighth, needing 101 pitches to do so. After Friday's game, Swarzak was asked if he embraces his new role as the team's long reliever. "I embrace being in the big leagues," he responded. "I really look forward to coming to the field every day and being a professional baseball player. This is what I've been looking forward to my whole life. Whether it's starting, reliever, it doesn't matter." Only four times in his brief Twins career has Swarzak thrown more than 101 pitches. The most pitches he threw in relief prior to Friday was 20 back on May 23 against Seattle. While Swarzak wasn't perfect in relief Friday -- he allowed a pair of runs on six hits but didn't issue a walk -- he helped preserve the Twins' bullpen. Right-hander Jim Hoey was the only other reliever used, and he needed just 15 pitches to get through a 1-2-3 ninth inning. "Swarzy was fantastic for us. If you're looking for a bright spot, that's one," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Ate up a lot of innings for us, protected our bullpen and threw the ball very well for us, which he's done since he's been up here." Before Thursday's game, Swarzak suffered a mild calf strain as he was doing conditioning work. It wasn't serious enough to prevent him from throwing six innings the next day. He also said it wasn't related to the bullpen's pre-game antics Thursday, in which they lined up as if forming a starting line in a track meet and sprinted toward the bullpen. "Just kind of pushing myself a little bit," he said. Like Duensing and Rangers starter C.J. Wilson, Swarzak had to battle the elements Friday at Target Field. Rain fell for most of the game, making the playing conditions less than ideal. But Swarzak wasn't about to use that as an excuse -- and gave credit to his teammates as well. "It was one of those things where you've just got to grab the ball and do the best you can," he said. "I had great defense behind me. Ben Revere made some phenomenal catches in left field. He doesn't do that and the whole game changes for me, for the team, for everybody." The first run Swarzak allowed came in the fourth. After he hit center fielder Craig Gentry -- one of two batters he hit Friday -- he gave up an RBI single to Adrian Beltre. In the sixth, Swarzak again let Gentry score. Gentry reached on an infield single and came home on Michael Young's base hit to center. Swarzak also issued his first career balk, which came with Josh Hamilton at the plate and advanced Gentry to second. But Swarzak held Texas' big bats in check and didn't allow an extra-base hit in six innings of work. "A phenomenal lineup over there: Hamilton, (Nelson) Cruz, you can go down the list from top to bottom. All of those guys can get to pretty much anything on any side of the plate," Swarzak said. "You just try to pitch in effectively and go away when you need to, flip some off-speed (pitches) out there and hope for the best."