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!
