Twins Simply Can't Start Martin Perez Anymore if They're Serious About the Playoffs

Even with the Cleveland Indians bearing down on them in the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins are still well-positioned to make the playoffs. They've got a potent offense that's carried them all year long.

But the one thing that they've struggled with is starting pitching. The back end of the rotation, specifically Martin Perez, has been abysmal in recent weeks.

If they're serious about making a deep run into the postseason, let alone make it there in the first place, then they can't keep rolling Perez out there every fifth day.

The 28-year-old southpaw has lost his touch, especially lately. He owns a rather pedestrian 4.58 ERA on the year, and his 4.79 SIERA suggests that things won't get better any time soon.

The last few weeks have been particularly brutal. He's made six starts since the beginning of July, and not including his embarrass seven-run performance from Wednesday, he's posted a 6.00 ERA and a 6.74 FIP while allowing eight home runs in 27 innings of work.

It's also worth noting that if it wasn't for the Twins' second triple play in just over two weeks, his performance could have been far worse.

Batters are seeing the ball well against him, hitting to the tune of a .489 expected batting average against his fastball, and he's simply lacked the ability to miss bats. His 6.00 K/9 since the start of July is well below his rate of 7.73 for the year.

By any metric, Perez has been a detriment to the team. If the Twins keep running him out there as a starter, they'll only be hurting their chances of making it to October.