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Thursday, July 12, 2012

Twins Grades: Starting Pitchers

There is only one word that describes the Twins pitching staff at the All Star break: Brutal. Out of 30 Major League teams, The Twins are; 29th in ERA(4.86), 28th in quality starts(30), 28th in whip(1.41), and 29th in Batting Average Against(.281). (whip= walks/hits per innings pitched.) This is a team that plays half of its games in a "Pitchers Park." (Target Field) Imagine what the stats would be, if they played in a hitters park.
Starters:
Scott Diamond: A
-I shudder to think where this team would be without Diamond. He has been the only consistent pitcher in the Twins rotation. He boasts; a 7-3 record; 9 of the team's 30 quality starts; and a 2.62 ERA. He has accomplished those statitistics in just 12 starts. Diamond, leads the team in wins, quality starts, era and whip. His 2.62 ERA is fifth best in the American League. He is having an incredible season. And would be a legitimate rookie of the year candidate, if Mike Trout wasn't having an MVP year, as a rookie, for the Angels.



Francisco Liriano: C-
-Liriano, has pitched very good, since rejoining the rotation, in late May. He pitched terribly to start the year though. This is typical Liriano. He always does, just enough, to make one wonder, if he has put all of his considerable talent together. But, Twins fans know he is a mental midget by now. And at a moments notice, he could fall apart again. He has to be traded before the deadline. Otherwise, he will leave at the end of the year for nothing, or worse, the Twins could decide to re-sign him. He leads the team in strikeouts, with 82, and walks, with 50.

Nick Blackburn: F
-Blackburn, has an ERA of  8.10 in 13 starts this season. That is good for the highest ERA in the American League.(Among pitchers who have pitched at least 60 innings.) Blackburn's whip is 1.77, which means he is allowing almost two baserunners per inning. Just a phenomenally bad performance. To make matters worse, he has made the third most starts for the team this season.


Carl Pavano: F
-His fastball generally tops out at 87 miles per hour these days. That is not going to cut it in single A ball, let alone, the Big Leagues. His ERA of 6.00, is the sixth worst in the American League.(Among pitchers who have pitched at least 60 innings.) Personally, I hope he stays on the DL for the rest of the year.

PJ Walters: C-
-In seven starts, Walters, has a 2-2 record, and an ERA of 5.40. Those stats are good enough to make him the fourth best starter on the team. The previous sentence sums up the Twins first half perfectly.

Cole De Vries: B
In six appearances, five starts, De Vries has a 2-1 record, and an ERA of 3.00. As of now, he is the second best starter for the Twins. Yikes. This Minnesota native, and career minor leaguer, has been a solid surprise. Can he keep his solid performance up?


Jason Marquis: F
Ever wonder how to piss away $3 million dollars? Just ask Terry Ryan, the Twins GM. He paid Marquis $3 mil; to put up a 2-4 record and an ERA of 8.47 in seven starts. Mercifully, Marquis was cut in May. He got to keep the money though. What a waste of resources.

Liam Hendriks: F
At the beginning of the season, Hendriks, was the Twins best pitching prospect. My, how quickly things can change. In eight Big League starts this season, Hendricks has an 0-5 record. To go along with an ERA of 7.20. Hendricks is winless in 12 career MLB starts. He is the first starter in franchise history- to make 12 starts and not record a single victory. The franchise dates back to 1901. Pat yourself on the back Liam. That was a difficult record to break.



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