Contemplating P.J. Walters

P.J. Walters threw 84 pitches Friday against
the Cubs: 53 strikes, 31 balls, and two
home runs allowed.

After his start of May 27, P.J. Walters had an ERA of 2.96 after four starts, and at least one metro beat writer was calling him the Twins best starter.

Since then, he has allowed nine earned runs in 9.1 innings, and his ERA is 4.42.

It's just six starts and a total of 36.2 innings, but his limitations as a major league starter are becoming more clearly visible. He's surrendered seven homers already, the result of mediocre stuff and occasionally flawed command.

He's not Minnesota's best starter. He may not be the worst, either, but he's marginal.

He's going to get more opportunities to establish himself in the rotation — but that says more about the alternatives on hand than about his talent or his future.