Joe Ryan's Opening Day Start Shows Why He Deserves To Be On Contender
The Minnesota Twins had a predictable outing on Thursday.
Minnesota Twins ace pitcher Joe Ryan showed why he's one of baseball's best pitchers on Thursday, but he doesn't have the supporting cast he deserves. The 29-year-old threw 5. 1 shutout innings in Minnesota's 2-1 Opening Day loss to the Baltimore Orioles, allowing just one hit with seven strikeouts and two walks over 85 pitches.
The Orioles broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the seventh, and the Twins' lone run came on second baseman Luke Keaschall's sacrifice fly in the eighth. This is a familiar script for the Twins. They finished 23rd in MLB with 678 runs scored last season, while Ryan was ninth with a 1.
04 WHIP, 15th with 194 strikeouts, and 18th with a 3. 42 ERA over 31 outings (30 starts). The right-hander also earned his first All-Star nod.
Minnesota's only above-average player offensively is star outfielder Byron Buxton, who scored on Keaschall's sacrifice fly on Thursday. The two-time All-Star tripled to left to set up the score, and that was the team's sole extra-base hit. It's unfair to write off a team after one game, but Thursday did nothing to show that other Twins players can step up enough besides Ryan and Buxton.