CLEVELAND -- When Chris Paddack took the mound on April 12 against the Tigers, he lugged around an ERA approaching 15.00. He had more walks allowed than strikeouts and had yet to record an out in the fifth inning.
While no one within the Twins’ front office or clubhouse wavered in their support of the veteran, it was not ridiculous to wonder how much pressure there was on him to get the ship righted. There were younger pitchers knocking on the door, and the team as a whole was in need of a spark.
Since then, Paddack has looked like the pitcher the Twins expected him to be. Though Minnesota lost, 2-1, to the Guardians on Tuesday, it marked Paddack’s fifth straight effective start. And whereas there was starting to be speculation about his job security three weeks ago, he’s clearly pushed those whispers away as he continues to turn in solid outings.
On Tuesday, it was five innings of four-hit, one-run ball. Not dominant, but more than enough to give his team a chance to win against the very tough Tanner Bibee. Paddack worked efficiently and for the most part got ahead of hitters. And following a four-walk performance last time out, he issued only one free pass to Cleveland.
“We talked about coming into this game, middle of the week bullpen, before two strikes, pound the zone,” Paddack said. “Be aggressive. Attack. That’s what I do best. I throw strikes. Hitters know that. My teammates know that.”
On another night he certainly could have pitched longer. But in a 1-1 game, with the Twins' bullpen rested almost to the point of excess, manager Rocco Baldelli wanted to get to his relievers quickly. So it was only five innings for Paddack on 76 pitches.
Still, it was enough for him to continue staving off the speculation that followed his early-season starts. On that same morning of April 12, second-year right-hander David Festa was coming off an impressive season debut after he was called up in the wake of an injury to Pablo López. Fellow youngster Zebby Matthews continues to impress at Triple-A St. Paul.
With Paddack struggling early, it was natural to wonder whether Festa -- or less likely Matthews -- might at some point force their way into the rotation at Paddack’s expense. His performance in his last four starts has put that question to bed for the time being.
“He pitched good,” Baldelli said. “He brought us into a place where we can win that game. He felt good about where he was at. I think he wanted to keep pitching, too. But I was really pleased with what we got out of him. It was a strong effort.”