Brilliant Diamond

Scott Diamond threw seven shutout innings
Tuesday. Yes, a Twins pitcher is allowed
to do that.

Quality start, anyone?


Scott Diamond on Tuesday was ... brilliant. A brilliant Diamond.

He was far sharper in Triple A this season than he was last year, and far sharper in this, his first major league start, than he was in any of his seven big league starts last season.

He threw strikes (62 strikes, 40 balls). He threw ground balls (12 ground ball outs, 3 fly ball outs). He missed bats (six strikeouts).

And he didn't give up a run.

I like Diamond perhaps more than I should (as I said last September). His stuff isn't overwhelming, and last season, for whatever reason, he didn't display the command of it that his numbers when pitching in the Atlanta system suggested.

Tuesday night, he had that command. Tuesday night he showed why the Twins took him in the Rule V draft and then traded a harder thrower to keep him.

It should be said, it's a lot easier to be a ground ball pitcher when your shortstop and second basemen can make plays. Diamond last year pitched a lot with Trevor Plouffe at short; he's had Brian Dozier behind him this year, both with Rochester and on Tuesday. That counts.

It's one start. But it is a start. I'm certainly more eager to see more of him than I am anybody else in the Twins rotation.