Twins' Bailey Ober: Loses three of final four starts
Rotowire
Ober (12-9) was saddled with the loss Sunday, allowing three runs on five hits over five innings against the Orioles. He struck out four.
Ober held the Orioles off the board through four innings but yielded a three-run blast to James McCann with one out in the fifth that erased a two-run lead. Ober ended the season on a sour note, losing three of his last four starts while compiling a 5.32 ERA over 23.2 innings. However, the righty finished the 2024 campaign with 12 wins and 191 strikeouts over 178.2 innings, and he was fifth in the majors with a 1.00 WHIP -- making his 3.98 ERA feel a bit unlucky.
Ober (12-8) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out seven over five innings, taking the loss versus the Marlins on Tuesday.
Ober allowed all four runs in the second inning, and the Twins' offense couldn't back him up. The right-hander has gone eight starts without a win, allowing 26 runs over 45.2 innings with a 50:12 K:BB in that span. His late fade has pushed his ERA up to 3.94 with a 1.00 WHIP and 187:43 K:BB through 173.2 innings over 30 starts this season. Ober is tentatively projected to make one more regular-season start at home versus the Orioles.
Twins' Bailey Ober: Racks up 12 punchouts Wednesday
Rotowire
Ober allowed two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings in a no-decision against Cleveland on Wednesday.
Ober tallied 17 whiffs while demonstrating excellent command by throwing 70 of 101 pitches for strikes. The only negative aspect of his performance is that two of the four hits against him left the park, which played a part in preventing him from emerging with a victory. Nonetheless, Ober picked up his third quality start across his past five outings, and in those trio of quality starts he's surrendered just six hits while allowing only three runs and posting a 27:3 K:BB across 20 frames. It should be mentioned, though, that in the two other starts during that five-game span, Ober has struggled, yielding 14 runs with an 8:4 K:BB over 8.2 frames.
Ober (12-7) took the loss Friday as the Twins fell 8-4 to the Reds, coughing up five runs on six hits and two walks over 6.2 innings. He struck out six.
The righty pitched well through six innings as the two teams battled to a 1-1 stalemate, but the wheels came off for Ober in the seventh as the first four Cincinnati batters reached base, starting with a Spencer Steer leadoff triple. Ober has gone six straight starts without recording a win, stumbling to a 5.35 ERA over that stretch despite a 1.07 WHIP and 31:10 K:BB through 33.2 innings. He'll try to reverse his fortunes in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Cleveland.
Ober allowed one hit and struck out seven without walking a batter over seven scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Royals on Saturday.
Ober was dominant, but Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax melted down in the eighth inning to let the Royals steal one. Ober had thrown just 83 pitches (59 strikes) when he was pulled with the bottom half of the Royals' order due up in the eighth. While Ober's winless streak is at five starts, this was his fourth quality start in that span and his fifth scoreless outing of the year. He's now at a 3.77 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 162:39 K:BB through 155 innings over a career-high 27 starts. The 29-year-old's next start is projected to be at home versus the Reds.
