It took some time, but the Minnesota Twins have caught up to the Cleveland Guardians at the top of the AL Central standings.
Minnesota was actually on top at one point this past weekend, but Cleveland is now up half a game in first place.
In any case, the Twins’ recent run has been impressive, and it has been fueled by elite starting pitching.
Pablo Lopez, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Simeon Woods-Richardson, and Chris Paddack have all been in top form since late-April, and have been winning games virtually on their own.
The numbers, as always, don’t lie.
“For the season, #MNTwins starting pitching is 7th in f-WAR (3.8) among 30 #MLB teams. Since April 22: 12-1, 3.10 ERA (7th), 10.24 K/9 (1st), 1.51 BB/9 (1st), 2.91 FIP (2nd), 113 1/3 IP (2nd), 2.9 fWAR (T-1),” Twins insider Dan Hayes tweeted.
For the season, #MNTwins starting pitching is 7th in f-WAR (3.8) among 30 #MLB teams.
Since April 22: 12-13.10 ERA (7th)10.24 K/9 (1st)1.51 BB/9 (1st)2.91 FIP (2nd)113 1/3 IP (2nd)2.9 fWAR (T-1)https://t.co/G9YnGfldOS
They have an incredibly impressive 12-1 record since April 22, with the highest K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings) in the league and the second-most innings.
It’s very hard to get top performance from all five pitchers in the rotation at once, but the Twins are actually doing it at the moment.
That, combined with the pending return of injured third baseman Royce Lewis and the excellent performances by Trevor Larnach, Ryan Jeffers, and Max Kepler among several others, give the organization hope.
The “hope,” in this case, is to win the AL Central division for a second consecutive season and put together a meaningful postseason run.
If they avoid major injuries, they might very well have what it takes.