Louie Varland returns to Target Field for first time since trade

The Twins entered Thursday’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays fresh off a gut-punching loss a day earlier.

After losing a late lead, the Twins regained it, only to lose it again. Given the opportunity to collect his second save of the season, Eric Orze walked the first batter he faced on four pitches in an inning that quickly unraveled.

Three runs scored and the Twins dropped a game that had looked winnable.

The Twins bullpen has been among the worst in the majors this season. Coincidentally, on Thursday, in walked a man who could’ve improved the outlook of the bullpen dramatically: Louie Varland.

Varland, the St. Paul native, recorded four saves in the previous week-plus for the defending American League-champion Toronto Blue Jays, who acquired the right-hander from Minnesota at the trade deadline last year.

Varland returned to Target Field for the first time since, with a 0.56 ERA and having allowed just one earned run through his first 15 appearances this season. He had struck out 26 batters in 16 innings entering Thursday’s game, and is pitching better than ever.

“Things are just working out, just doing my job and taking it one pitch, one day at a time,” Varland said.

Varland said the four game-set against his former teammates was “just another series and all business.” He also admitted there might be a little more banter than normal with the Blue Jays’ and Twins’ bullpens situated near each other.

On the other side of things, the Twins’ bullpen is struggling and the Twins have yet to see the talent they acquired much at the major league level. Outfielder Alan Roden began the season at Triple-A and is now dealing with a labrum tear in his shoulder. Kendry Rojas, a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher, made his major league debut last week and threw two scoreless innings before being optioned back to Triple-A. Rojas is one of the team’s top pitching prospects.

“It’s hard to part with someone like Louie Varland that has that talent and all the other factors that come with him,” general manager Jeremy Zoll said. “Unfortunately, you have to make some hard calls along the way and that was undoubtedly one of the tougher ones from last July.”