It鈥檚 been three years since Andrew Albers pitched with the Minnesota Twins.
The 30-year-old left-hander from North Battleford is hoping to make the most of his return to the American League club as the 2016 season comes to a close.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity,鈥� Albers said. 鈥淲hen you get back up here you're looking for a chance to be with a club and take advantage of your opportunity.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no question that there鈥檚 a bit of a difference here this time around compared to when I was here last. I鈥檓 a lot more comfortable in the clubhouse and I know the guys a lot better, so hopefully having that experience can help me to have some success.鈥�
Albers made his first start in the majors since 2013 on Tuesday when the Twins took on the Cleveland Indians.
It wasn鈥檛 a good outing, however, as he gave up four runs and six hits in just two innings of work in an eventual 6-5 loss for the Twins.
鈥淚鈥檓 hoping to make up for that one on Sunday (when he will start against the Chicago White Sox) and carry on from there,鈥� Albers said.
鈥淲hen you only last two innings on the mound as a starter, there鈥檚 not a lot of positives that you can take out of it. That鈥檚 one of those games where you go back and take a look at the video to try and learn from it.鈥�
Prior to his start, Albers had made two relief appearances for the Twins in August.
He pitched six innings against the Houston Astros on Aug. 11 and had two and one-third innings on the mound on Aug. 26 against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto.
鈥淭he game against Houston was the back-end of a doubleheader and we needed someone to eat up some innings for the team,鈥� Albers said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 the prettiest of outings but I was able to go out there and help to save the arms in the bullpen a little bit.
鈥淏eing able to pitch in Toronto was a great opportunity and I was really happy about it. That was the first time I had pitched in the Rogers Centre since I was 17, and it was called the SkyDome back then.鈥�
Albers, who pitched one game with the Blue Jays last year and had a rough season with the Buffalo Bisons in AAA, started the season in independent ball with the Lancaster Barnstormers before signing a minor league contract with the Twins in April.
He鈥檚 spent the majority of the 2016 campaign with the Rochester Red Wings. In 21 starts for the Twins AAA team, he had a 10-6 record with a 3.84 earned run average.
鈥淚 was having a really good season down there until my last three starts when things weren鈥檛 going my way,鈥� Albers said. 鈥淭here were balls that weren鈥檛 getting hit very hard that were falling in for hits, but that鈥檚 how baseball goes sometimes.
鈥淚鈥檝e been throwing well, getting ahead in counts and getting out of a lot of jams. I鈥檝e got my confidence back down there and I鈥檝e proved that I can pitch at this level after a tough 2015 in Buffalo.鈥�
After being in the mix for an American League playoff spot last season, 2016 has been a tough one for the Twins as their 50-85 record is the worst in all of the majors.
With a number of talented youngsters in the farm system, the final month of the season will be key for players like Albers to make a lasting impression on the Twins management and have a chance to make the team next year.
鈥淓veryone鈥檚 pretty much in the same boat right now,鈥� Albers said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 going to be some changes in the off-season here and everyone鈥檚 looking to give the best performances that they can so they can be on the club coming out of training camp next year.
鈥淔or me, it doesn鈥檛 matter if it鈥檚 staying as starting pitcher or if I move back into the bullpen. I鈥檓 more than happy to go in whatever role they want me to here in the last month of the season here to help us get some wins.鈥�
