If you'd told me two weeks ago that on this day the Twins would be in first place riding a 6-game winning streak and have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, statistically speaking, I would have scoffed, perhaps even guffawed at such a foolhardy notion. Yet here we are. Joe Ryan is absolutely, undeniably ridiculous. He's 3-1 in four starts and has only given up 3 earned runs on just 10 hits in 23 innings pitched, good for a 1.17 ERA. He's struck out 25 and only walked 6 batters, giving him a 0.70 WHIP. Ridiculous, I say.
If Joe Ryan is ridiculous, Dylan Bundy is absurd. He's undefeated in three starts with a 0.59 ERA. Chris Archer, one of the more veteran arms, has no decisions nor gaudy numbers, but he's got a respectable 3.18 ERA and he's holding hitters to a .209 batting average. Chris Paddack and Sonny Gray have been the hard luck kids of the rotation with 3.68 and 5.68 ERAs, respectively.
That brings us to today's Twins starter, Bailey Ober, 1-1 in 3 starts, 2.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 13 Ks in 16 innings. You know, middle of the road. He goes up against southpaw Tarik Skubal for the Tigers. He's 1-1 with a 2.30 ERA and 16 strikeouts. I'd say we should maybe expect a pitcher's duel today but the Twins are swinging some hot bats, so maybe not. Either way, it's a fun team to watch right now.
Play ball!
No Buxton in the lineup today.
A lefty on the mound, but no Buxton, Sano or Sanchez - guess we rely on out RH bit players
If I were to describe Ober's game so far, I would not use the term "sharp"
Balks will haunt.
a groin or hamstring pull ? Hope its not too serious
That's what she said.
😆
Pretty nice job by Stashak there with the short notice entry into the game. Its also helpful that the Tigers are bad.
I think he's safe, but I'm biased.
bunty bunty error error
uh oh, Dick waxing poetic about bunting.
The Twins best skill seems to be making the other team play garbage defense.
See?
I'll take it!
I hope it holds up for at least one Yankees series.
Ex-Twin MartÃn Pérez has been perfect twice through the order.
So much for that.
Meanwhile, Correa's BA is now higher than Jorge's. Or, I should say, Jorge's BA is now lower than Correa's.
Gilberto showed Grossman how it's supposed to be done.
Griffin going for the 3-inning save?
Ha -- a "grown man save" 😀
SWEEP
Seven game win streak sure makes this team look a lot better.
Twins are now tied for the largest division lead in the major leagues. AL Central!