The Minnesota Twins led the American League Central for much of the first half before ultimately falling out of the top spot, which is now occupied by the Cleveland Guardians.
The Twins finished the first half a game below the .500 mark at 45-46 and now trail Cleveland by a half-game.
However, despite finishing the first half on a three-game skid, there are plenty of positives to take away from the first 91 games of the year.
Minnesota’s pitching has been elite thus far.
On Twitter, the team posted a graphic featuring some impressive first-half numbers courtesy of the pitching staff and where they rank in those categories.
Let’s give it up for the pitching in the first half 👏 pic.twitter.com/gYoAbKL55s
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 13, 2023
The Twins set a club record with 870 strikeouts in the first half of the season.
That’s the second-best of any team in baseball throughout the first half.
They also held opposing teams to an on-base percentage of .292.
That’s the best mark in all of baseball among pitching staffs in the first half.
They ranked first in FIP with a mark of 3.70, first in WHIP with a mark of 1.16, and first in innings pitched per start, averaging 5.7 innings.
Minnesota was also second in WAR with a 12.9 mark and third in ERA, posting a clip of 3.68.
So while the Twins finished the first half on a down note, there were still plenty of positives to take away from their first 91 games.
Their pitching staff has been nothing short of elite.
In the offseason, they shipped Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Pablo Lopez, and the deal appears to be paying off for both clubs.
NEXT: A Slight Change Has Paid Dividends For The Twins
