The Twins have enjoyed two very good starts to the season from the #2 and #4 starters in the rotation to start the year. Jose Berrios and Homer Bailey each have sub 3.00 ERAs to start the year, but they’ve certainly gone about it in different ways.
Berrios has been strong all year. He’s striking out almost 10 per 9 innings, and is limiting his home runs allowed thanks to the soft contact he permits. He’s not walking anybody either, and if this is something you are interested in, he leads the league in wins.
Bailey, while he has an even better ERA than Berrios, has been luckier than good. His BABIP for the season has been .191. He’s walked twice as many batters as Berrios, and his strikeout rate is 2.4 K/9 lower. His FIP is about the same as Jake Odorizzi, but Odorizzi’s ERA for the season is approaching 6.00.
It’s far to early to believe that these conditions will hold through the year, but looking at the underlying numbers, Berrios is looking like the ace the Twins wanted, while Bailey might simply be doing enough until the team gets back to full health.
– The Twins sit at 25-14 despite dropping 2/3 to the Giants, an thanks in part to stomping the Royals in their most recent pair of games, winning 9-5 today. They are 4 games ahead of the Indians, with the Tigers now falling back to 7 games out.
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