Strong Pitching Will Lead The Way In Twins Vs. Blue Jays

Twins vs. Blue Jays, 3:07 ET

Sometimes I feel like I write about the same teams over and over again. It is possible that I end up looking at the same squads because I become familiar with them. Perhaps I just check out the team and feel like I have an angle or they are undervalued. It could be that they are getting the best of me and I’m trying to figure it out. Sometimes I wonder if readers are like "Man, another bet on this team?" Then, a stronger feeling comes over me, one that says "If you’re putting out winners, they probably don’t care if you talk about your grandfather then give the play." So, despite feeling like I’ve covered the Twins quite a bit lately, I am putting out a play on another one of their games as they take on the Blue Jays.

It isn’t that I’m a Twins fan. In fact, I’ve written a few times that I have finally come around on them after thinking they were overrated within their own division. Now, my belief has shifted a bit toward me thinking they are a decent enough team. Sure, they have a couple of guys like Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa that most teams would be interested in, but they don’t have a "face of the MLB" type of player. Correa might be close, but he hasn’t really garnered the interest from other clubs that he expected after leaving Houston either. Still, all that has happened with the Twins since he has arrived is playoff appearances. The club finds ways to win games despite their offense not being a top of the market caliber, and their pitching staff being bolstered by guys most would overlook because you’ve probably never heard of them. One of those type of pitchers is taking the ball today as Simeon Woods Richardson takes the hill. Woods Richardson is off to a great start with a 1.71 ERA over 20.2 innings pitched this year. I talked about him prior to his last start against the Mariners. He ended up going six innings and allowed just one hit and one walk with no runs. We won that play. The Twins have won every game he has started, and honestly, it does have a lot to do with his performances. He’s only made four starts but he has posted two quality starts and the other two were a little questionable in terms of performance, but he escaped with allowing no more than two earned runs in either of them. 

TORONTO, ON - MAY 16:  Kevin Gausman #34 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Rogers Centre on May 16, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

The Blue Jays are another team I feel like I’ve covered quite a bit. They are a team that I’ve admitted wanting to root for. I have mentioned it before, but for whatever reason, the teams that have players of former professional players always stand out to me. The Blue Jays have three of those guys. The problem is they aren’t playing very good baseball this season. Below .500 at this point and showing no real signs of snapping out of it, the Blue Jays might need to blow it up and try to rebuild once again. There is obvious room for improvement with the offense, so maybe that turns around and the season follows suit. I am not counting on it though. To make matters worse, the pitching hasn’t been pretty either. The club has an ERA over 4.50 and their WHIP is around 1.40. Kevin Gausman is supposed to be their Ace, and he takes the ball for them today. He struggled to start the year, but looks like he may be coming around. He has posted four straight starts where he allowed one or fewer earned runs and covered at least five innings. In his first 9.1 innings of the year, he allowed 12 earned runs. In his next 24, he has allowed just two earned runs. Twins hitters are batting just .221 against him in their careers. 

This is a game that should see another under through five innings. The way Gausman is throwing I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire game goes under, but he did rack up 112 pitches in his last outing so it makes me a bit nervous to play the full game. Woods Richardson has been outstanding so far and I am seeing no reason to think it will stop against a poorly performing Blue Jays squad. Back the under through five in this game. 

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