Twins Update

So in the first three games of the seaon, the Twins started Brad Radke, their long time ace, Johan Santana, last year's Cy Young winner, and Carlos Silva, a second year starter who had a very nice 14 win season last year. Santana, of course, has the ability to totally dominate a game, and Radke allowed fewer baserunners per nine innings than all but two other starters last year (I think). Silva, who did a great job, is nonetheless a sinkerballer, someone who needs a good defense behind him because he will have a lot of ground balls hit off him. So, of these three, who would you guess would pitch the best game? If you're smart (or have picked up a sports section in the past year) you guessed Santana, if you're sentimental you guessed Radke, and nobody guessed Silva. But, after Radke allowed 5 runs in a loss and Santana allowed 4 runs in a win, Silva came out and went 7 full innings, threw only 68 pitches, allowed only one run, a solo homer, and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam. He had no strikeouts, but no walks either, and got three double plays behind him. So one of the best pitchers in baseball and one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball can't keep the Mariner's to under 4 runs in a game, but Silva does it easily, throwing only 68 pitches! Baseball drives me nuts sometimes.

Seriously though, I was pretty impressed by Silva's outing, and if he can maintain that sort of form for most of the season, the Twins could easily have the best rotation in the game.