Pitchers perform

Really, most of the Twins pitchers have done well. But who would have thought that Ramon Ortiz and Carlos Silva would lead the team's starters in ERA (2.05 and 2.00), and that Ortiz would be 3-0 after three starts?

Ortiz has been the pleasant surprise this season. Some bloggers have suggested that he has usually had a big lead to work with. While the Twins have scored runs for him, he hasn't always pitched with a big lead; in fact, against the Yankees, the game was 1-1 when he pitched in the eighth inning, before Minnesota scored 4 more.

Johan Santana has also pitched well, but just not vintage Santana. (2-1, 3.6 ERA) going into today's game. He'll come around.

Boof Bonser (0-1, 6.89 ERA) and Sidney Ponson (1-1, 8.18 ERA) have had some rough spots. Ponson gave up 8 earned runs against New York, but only 2 against Tampa Bay. We need another three or so starts from each to get a better picture of their abilities.

The Twins shouldn't wait too long though. People need to keep in mind that the Twins' minor league teams have suffered from a lot of bad weather, and have not played many games. Thus, we need to make sure our starters' arms are ready before they get called up.

Among the relievers, Pat Neshek and Matt Guerrier lead the team in ERA, with no earned runs allowed, as of April 18.

Joe Nathan has shown he's human lately, allowing one loss and nearly blowing another save. He's 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He's given up three earned runs so far.

Dennys Reyes – who was so sharp last year, with an ERA under 1.00 on the year – has allowed 5 earned runs in 5 innings for a 9.00 ERA.

Juan Rincon and Jesse Crain, the Twins' two set-up men, have pitched well so far, with 2 and 1 earned runs, so far.

Glenn Perkins is the only Twins pitcher with a double-digit ERA – at 10.12, 3 runs in 2.2 innings, in two outings. He'll get better.

Overall, the Twins' pitching has been pretty good, with some pleasant surprises, and a couple not-so-pleasant ones. They will get a little better, and will make use of some arms at Rochester.

Certainly the Twins are off to a better start than last year. We cannot expect the huge surge they made last year, but even starting out 9-5 is a good start.