360 Degrees Takes the Fifth
It's the top of the sixth and I can write the fifth edition of 360 Degrees. One would expect nothing less, as only one starter completed six innings this time around. Let's get this over with.
IP: 24 -- Only 4.8 Innings per start
R: 29
ER: 29
H: 44
K: 18
BB: 4
HP: 3
HR: 9
ERA: 10.87
WHIP: 2.00
FIP: 6.49
QS: 1
Things started promisingly enough when Johan Santana threw eight innings, allowing three runs against the Royals. Sure it was the Royals, but Santana looked good again. Then, the Twins headed in a Northeasterly direction to Detroit. And the pitching went straight South. Of course, we all know about the 33 runs allowed in three games. Let's be clear about the starting pitching's role in all of that. In 10.67 innings, the Tigers got 21 runs, all earned, against the starters. As you can see, the Twins' starters didn't walk many batters only four, but they gave up 9 home runs. Nice. Scott Baker continued the trend of putrid starts, making the Mariners look like the 1927 Yankees. With a very hittable Joel Pineiro on the mound the Twins had a chance tonight. But Baker gave up runs early and often and the Twins couldn't put together a rally.
I decided to add a new feature to this trip, looking at the fundamentals of the other team. It is shocking
AVE: .407 Everybody is Ted Williams!
OBP: .436
SLG: .667 Everybody is Albert Pujols!
OPS: 1.103 Everybody is Alex Rodriguez!
GPA: .363
Let's break it down by pitcher (AVE/OBP/SLG/OPS/GPA).
Johan Santana: .241/.267/.379/.646/.215
Brad Radke: .643/.625/1.214/1.839/.585 (I wish I could have hit like this in slowpitch softball.)
Carlos Silva: .529/.529/1.118/1.647/.518
Kyle Lohse: .333/.448/.500/.948/.327 (I'll say this. Lohse looked better than his numbers.)
Scott Baker: .458/.440/.792/1.232/.396
It goes without saying, but the best pitcher this time around and for the third consecutive time was Johan Santana.
I'm all snarked out. I'm just here to report the facts. Read 'em and weep.
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ubelmann
I wish I could have hit like this in slowpitch softball.
Actually, tonight playing softball, I hit a pretty routine hard grounder past the other team's shortstop, and then there were some Stewart-like antics in left field, and I wound up leading the game off with a first pitch "home run." It sadly reminded me of the Twins.
spycake
I think Lohse looked better than his final line, and Baker too kept us in the game into the 6th inning (it was only 3-1 before the Sexson homer, 4-1 when he left). It's just somehow become mandatory that the Twins lose by a ridiculously lopsided score now.
On the bright side, we're still out-performing our Pythagorean record.
ubelmann
The pitching isn't this bad. I mean, it just can't be, right? Even the Royals are pitching better at this point, and I don't think it's delusional to believe the Twins have a better staff than the Royals.
And then there's the question about whether it was reasonable at all to expect a collapse like this. I mean, there were some question marks, mainly with relying on so many low-K, low-BB pitchers in the rotation, but the whole off-season we were talking about pitching was such a strength for this team, and how sad it was going to be to see it wasted on pathetic hitting again.
If you had set out to pick exactly the circumstances under which this team has failed--worst hitter in the league soaks up most of the cleanup ABs, starting pitching can't buy an out, one of your top set-up men with a 10ish ERA--you would've been laughed at for being unrealistic.
At this point, there is a trainwreck-like quality to the team.
ubelmann
On the bright side, we’re still out-performing our Pythagorean record.
With these last 4 games, it's going to be tough for us to not outperform our pythag record.
SBG
On the bright side, we’re still out-performing our Pythagorean record.
That's because we are so good (4-1) in one run games. Got that problem solved.
InternSharkey
So if we can play 92 more one run games, I like our chances.