Back on June 9 I posted a screed about what seemed an unduly early hook of Glen Perkins. Here's the box score from that game.

Perkins had a three-run lead, got the first out of the sixth inning, then gave up a hit to Jim Thome on his 93rd pitch, and Ron Gardenhire pulled him. And Jesse Crain was bad, and Matt Guerrier was worse, and the Twins turned a 5-2 lead into a 7-5 loss.

So what happened Monday was all too familiar: A three-run lead for Perkins, he gets the first batter in the seventh and then surrenders a hit to a lefthanded hitter (Granderson), and even though he had just topped 90 pitches, out he comes and in comes Crain. And Reyes. And Guerrier. None of whom was effective.

And a 4-1 lead when Perkins left turned into a 5-4 defeat.

Pulling Perkins was a bit more explicable this time, inasmuch as it was the seventh inning (rather than the sixth) and the bullpen was rested (Crain didn't pitch at all against the Brewers). And it is odd that the bullpen has twice come up with a multi-pitcher failure behind Perkins in a month. But it sure seems like the manager (officially Scott Ullger on Monday, since Gardenhire had been ejected) has a short leash on Perkins.

e-mail Edward Thoma