MINNEAPOLIS -- Chris Paddack's season started about as badly as it could for a pitcher. However, his last two starts have provided hope that Paddack could be closer to the form he showed last year before he was shut down in July with a forearm strain.
Paddack allowed one earned run in five innings on two walks and two hits while striking out five in the Twins¡¯ 4-0 loss to the Tigers on Saturday.
"In this game it¡¯s not how you start, it¡¯s how you finish,¡± said Paddack. ¡°The longevity of a season, hopefully I have 29 more starts ahead of me, so I'm continuing to build and grow and learn something new every start and get ready for my next outing.¡±
After locking down the No. 4 spot in the Twins¡¯ rotation in Spring Training, Paddack was rocked in his first start this season, surrendering nine runs in 3 1/3 innings against the White Sox on March 31.
His numbers didn¡¯t look great in his next start versus Houston on April 6, when he was tagged for seven hits, walked two and gave up three earned runs in 4-plus innings. However, Paddack ran into some bad luck that day. He allowed just one run over four innings against the Astros. But in the fifth, an error and a couple other plays that weren¡¯t made behind him caused the inning to spiral out of control and Paddack was pulled after throwing just 68 pitches.
On Saturday, Paddack gave up an unearned run in the first inning, thanks to a Carlos Correa throwing error that allowed Zach McKinstry to take an extra base. But Paddack contributed to his own misfortune that inning by walking McKinstry to lead off the game.
The Tigers bunched their only other baserunners against Paddack in the fourth, as Spencer Torkelson led off with a single and Riley Greene drew a walk. At that point, catcher Christian V¨¢zquez paid a visit to the mound to settle Paddack down, and he retired the next three batters, though Torkelson scored on a sacrifice fly.
After a 1-2-3 fifth inning, Paddack's pitch count had hit 93 and his day was done. Paddack¡¯s last fastball of the day clocked in at 94.7 mph, and he hit 95.5 on the gun earlier in the at-bat.
"I saw the [velocity] stay consistent today,¡± Paddack said. ¡°Overall I felt great. Saw some '5s and '6s there late in the fifth, so that¡¯s a positive."
Paddack¡¯s performance was especially timely, given David Festa¡¯s outing on Friday. The rookie right-hander was called up from Triple-A St. Paul to make a spot start and went 4 2/3 innings, allowing no earned runs and just four baserunners while striking out four. With Zebby Matthews and Andrew Morris also lurking across the Mississippi River, it¡¯s incumbent on Paddack and Sunday¡¯s starter, Simeon Woods-Richardson, to begin stringing together some good outings. Paddack definitely took that step on Saturday.
"Paddy kept us in the game, and that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for from your starters,¡± Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. ¡°He went out there and found himself, I would say.¡±
Paddack said he went to school on Festa¡¯s outing, noticing that the Tigers¡¯ lefty-heavy lineup was having trouble with one particular pitch.
"After watching Festa last night, I noticed there was some swing-and-miss with the changeup. That was kind of my game plan,¡± said Paddack, who threw 31 changeups intermixed with 48 four-seam fastballs. ¡°I¡¯ve been working my tail off to get that pitch back to where it used to be.¡±
While the Twins' offense continues to struggle, nobody can complain about the improvement shown by the starting pitcher.
??"Overall, I¡¯m very satisfied with where the stuff was today, how the body felt, the execution of the game plan with me and [V¨¢zquez],¡± Paddack said. ¡°Did a lot of really good things well.¡±