Fantasy Baseball: Can Brian Duensing Get on Track?

Brian Duensing isn’t have a terrible season for the Minnesota Twins. He’s 4-6 with a 4.82 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. But he’s not living up to the expectations he set last year, when he went 10-3 with a 2.62 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.

He’s been a roller coaster ride this year, starting off on fire going 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA in April before floundering in May at 0-4 with a 8.76 ERA. He’s bounced back nicely in June, going 2-1 again with a 2.81 ERA. His ERA in June is a little suspect though, as he has four additional unearned runs. Still, after such a poor May it’s nice to see him pitching well again.

Last year Duensing was a beast at home, going 6-1 with a 2.00 ERA. This year he’s just 2-3 with a 5.45 ERA. Disasters against Toronto and Texas helped push those numbers up though. His other four home starts were quality starts.

The Twins have been scoring more lately and are on what seems like their annual hot streak. Their confidence is high as they try to get back into the race for the A.L. Central title.

Luck hasn’t been on Duensing’s side this year.

His BABIP is .333, which puts him among the leaders. Last year it was .272. Even though he has had success in June, his mark for the month is .351.

As things start to even out, his peripherals will come down. While they won’t likely reach anywhere near last year’s numbers, they should be good enough to make him a nice spot starter when the matchup is right.

Don’t expect a win out of Brian the next time he takes the mound, as he has to lock horns with Tim Lincecum. That doesn’t mean he can’t turn in a solid performance on the road, where he’s 2-3 with a 4.32 ERA.

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• The Need for Speed
• Is A.J. Burnett Due for a Crash?