The final line for Chris Paddack was ugly once again, yet somehow, it could’ve been uglier.
The Sheriff imploded in the fifth inning, completing zero outs and allowing three runs (two earned), a pair of singles, a double and a walk amid a Willi Castro throwing error before Rocco Baldelli pulled the righty starter in favor of Cole Sands in the Houston Astros’ 9-7 comeback victory on Sunday at Target Field.
Paddack’s disastrous fifth inning was a long time coming, given all the hard contact from the Houston lineup. Four of his 12 outs registered an exit velocity of over 90 mph.
Through four innings, Paddack allowed three earned runs, seven hits, two walks and struck out two.
How much longer will Twins' Chris Paddack be in the starting rotation after Astros meltdown?
One has to wonder how much longer Paddack’s tenure in the starting rotation will be, especially given that Zebby Mathews dominated in his first start at Triple-A St. Paul this season, throwing five scoreless innings while allowing only one hit.
And while spring training stats don’t necessarily translate to the regular season, it’s still worth noting that Paddack posted a 4.58 ERA across 17 ⅔ innings in spring camp, while Matthews didn’t allow a run in 9 ⅓.
Paddack is struggling to find outs, while Matthews has been unstoppable
Compared to Matthews, the upside can’t be too high for Paddack at this point. Paddack has more Major League experience, but Matthews has the potential to be a top-of-the-rotation arm. Given how poor The Sheriff has looked this season, it makes perfect sense for Minnesota to move him to a bullpen role and give Matthews another Major League opportunity.
Who will Paddack face next?
Assuming Minnesota doesn't jump the gun on demoting Paddack out of the rotation, his next start should come against right-handed pitcher Reese Olson and the first-place Detroit Tigers, who hold the 14th-best OPS in MLB at .809, on Friday. Given his struggles against the 2-7 Chicago White Sox and an Astros team that has a .607 OPS, The Sheriff's next start could very well be his last.