Pitching Perspectives (3/31-4/5)
By Wally Fish
The Twins finished the week with a 3-1-1 record. They ended spring training 19-13 which was good for a 4th place finish in the Grapefruit League.
Scott Baker did not pitch this week and was placed on the 15 day DL to start the season. It is expected that he will only miss one start. For the spring Baker had a 6.85 ERA, 1.73 WHIP and 5.33 SO/BB in 23.2 IP. He allowed a lot of hits in his 23.2 innings, but that is to be expected since Baker pitches to contact and a pitcher’s control typically takes a while to round into form. While he may be the “ace” to start the season, I can see a reasonable scenario where he is the Twins 3rd starter by the end of the year.
Francisco Liriano pitched Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. In 3.0 innings he allowed 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and struck out 3. For the spring Liriano had a 4.94 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 2.25 SO/BB in 27.1 IP. It was a solid spring for Francisco as he posted a solid SO/BB and an excellent WHIP. Because of Scott Baker’s injury, Liriano pitches tonight in the opener against Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners.
Kevin Slowey pitched Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 5.0 IP he allowed 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB and recorded 2 SO. For the spring Slowey had a 2.13 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 7.33 SO/BB in 25.1 IP. While Liriano was good this spring, Slowey was great. This spring was just a precursor of things to come in the regular season.
Nick Blackburn pitched Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 5.0 innings he allowed 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk and struck out 2. For the spring Blackburn had a 2.57 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 4.00 SO/BB in 14.0 IP. Blackburn got off to a slow start this spring due to a sore knee but bounced back quickly and seems to be in regular season form. He lacks great “stuff” but he makes up for it with excellent control and a great feel for pitching. Last season Blackburn was very steady and consistent. This season, with another year of experience, there is no reason to expect anything less.
Glen Perkins pitched Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 5.0 IP he allowed 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB and recorded 2 SO. For the spring Perkins had a 2.03 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 2.17 SO/BB in 31.0 IP. Perkins is very similar to Blackburn with slightly less control at this point in his career. When it comes to 5th starters Perkins is one of the best in all of baseball.
Week 1: ERA of 3.46 with a WHIP of 1.23 in 13.0 innings
Week 2: ERA of 1.11 with a WHIP of 0.78 in 24.1 innings
Week 3: ERA of 4.43 with a WHIP of 1.33 in 20.1 innings
Week 4: ERA of 4.98 with a WHIP of 1.52 in 21.2 innings
Week 5: ERA of 4.20 with a WHIP of 1.03 in 30.0 innings
Minnesota
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
HR
ERA
WHIP
3/31-4/5 Starters
18.0
16
6
6
4
9
3
3.00
1.11
Below is the performance of the rest of the pitchers in camp:
Minnesota
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
HR
ERA
WHIP
Luis Ayala (R)
2.0
1
0
0
1
1
0
0.00
1.00
Craig Breslow (L)
1.2
3
2
2
2
2
0
10.78
2.99
Jesse Crain (R)
1.1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0.00
0.00
R.A. Dickey (R)
4.0
3
0
0
1
3
0
0.00
1.00
Brian Duensing (L)
3.0
3
2
2
2
1
1
6.00
1.67
Matt Guerrier (R)
1.0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0.00
1.00
Philip Humber (R)
3.1
9
6
6
0
4
1
16.22
2.70
Joe Nathan (R)
2.0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0.00
0.50
The Bad: Philip Humber
The Good: Luis Ayala, R.A Dickey, and Joe Nathan
This is the final spring installment of Twins Pitching Perspectives. Next week’s edition will be covering the regular season.