Cleveland Indians Kick Off Roadtrip in Minnesota Against the Twins

Numbers to Know

.371

Minnesota enters play this weekend with the worst record in all of Major League Baseball. After a 2015 season that saw them in contention for a wild card spot down to the very end, the .371 winning percentage in 2016 is a severe disappointment.

The Twins have dealt with more than their fair share of injuries this season, particularly to the pitching staff. Starters Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes, and Tommy Milone, closer Glen Perkins, and reliever Trevor May have all spent various amounts of time on the shelf, contributing to the club having the worst pitching staff in the AL.

There have also been growing pains for many of Minnesota’s young players, most notably Miguel Sano, who came in third in Rookie of the Year voting a season ago, top prospect Byron Buxton, and potential future ace Jose Berrios. Sano spent part of the season on the DL with a hamstring issue, and while his power numbers look similar to 2015, he has regressed overall at the plate, seeing significant dips in each of his slash line stats.

Buxton and Berrios have bounced back and forth between the minors and the big leagues, both struggling when given the opportunity at the MLB level. Buxton has slashed just .224/.273/.404 in 70 games, though the raw tools and athleticism have been apparent, and Berrios has posted an earned run average of 9.21 in 42 innings of work, showing serious command issues.

11

Due to the injuries and inconsistencies the Twins have faced in their starting rotation, the team has used 11 different starting pitchers. The lack of continuity goes a long towards explaining a team ERA over 5.00 and an opponents’ batting average of .288.

Eight pitchers have made at least eight starts for Molitor, with seven of those having made 10 or more. By contrast, only eight pitchers have started for Cleveland this season, and one of those came from Zach McAllister after the epic 19-inning game in Toronto in early July.

The Indians’ regular starting five have all made at least 23 starts this season, displaying consistency and the good fortune of staying mostly healthy. Besides Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer, and Josh Tomlin, only Cody Anderson (eight) and Mike Clevinger (six) have taken a normal turn in the rotation this season, a fact exemplified by the team being No. 1 in the AL in ERA, shutouts, and batting average against.

Next: Big years from big names.