Twins' Molitor considering opener strategy used by Rays

Once is an exception, but twice might be the start of a trend.

The Minnesota Twins are considering the deployment of an "opener" in lieu of a traditional starter sometime before the end of the regular season.

"I think there's enough curiosity for us to see how it plays," manager Paul Molitor said Wednesday, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. "There are (a) lot of factors on who you are going to open (with) and it depends on who you're going to follow, what constitutes the other team's lineup as far if it's left/right, all those types of things. This thing has a chance to pick up legs across the game, but you know, as we get more data in return, you can't argue with Tampa's success. That's for sure.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we did it."

The Tampa Bay Rays have occasionally used relief pitchers in the first and second innings of games this season. The approach was born partly of necessity when the Rays' rotation was severely depleted by injuries in May, but the team's continued to use it strategically depending on opponents' lineups.

Right-handers Sergio Romo and Ryne Stanek are among the Rays pitchers who have served in this role. Stanek is second on the team in starts with 18, though his longest outing is two innings.

Tampa Bay's ERA in the first inning is 2.87 - a marked improvement over the major-league average of 4.62.

The Twins have already experimented with the strategy with their minor-league affiliates at Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester.

It may be a matter of time before closer Fernando Rodney gets a first-inning nod for the first time in his 16-year career.

"We're seeing how it's playing down there," Molitor said. "I don't know if we'll get to that situation and do it by the end of the year or not. So yeah, like everything that involves change in this game, we're more than willing to look at and see if it's something for us to do."