Minnesota Twins benefiting from Bartolo Colon’s rebound on the mound
By Keaton Moore
Since being released by the Atlanta Braves, Bartolo Colon is turning his season around as a member of the Minnesota Twins.
When the Atlanta Braves signed Bartolo Colon to a one-year deal shortly after last season, everything seemed to point in the direction of another excellent year. Over the previous five seasons, Colon averaged 14 wins with a combined 3.57 ERA.
On top of his success on the mound, the Braves saw Colon’s 20 years of experience in the major leagues as a valuable asset in helping guide their young pitching staff.
Instead, Colon’s run in Atlanta lasted only 18 starts, in which he went 4-9 with an 8.14 ERA. In fact, his struggles brought Colon to the point of considering retirement after this season. Colon lost final four starts with Atlanta and the Braves released him in early July.
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Just when it seemed as if Colon’s time in the major leagues had run out, the Minnesota Twins gave him a second chance thanks to Ervin Santana. And needless to say, he has not wasted his chance at redemption.
“I feel good,” Colon said (per mlb.com). “I have to thank the Braves for giving me an opportunity and now the Twins and Ervin Santana. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. We had a talk before I came here and it motivated me to come here.”
Since losing his first start as a Twin, Colon pitched his way to a 4.02 ERA in five starts for Minnesota. He followed up his first complete game of the season on August 4 with a scoreless seven-inning start against the Milwaukee Brewers.
His resurging success is helping the Twins remain in playoff contention. Although they held first place in the AL Central for much of the first half, the Twins are 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Indians in the division.
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However, Minnesota is right in the heap of the AL Wild Card race, only a half game behind the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays for the second spot. For the time being, it looks as if Colon has put his struggles behind him and his rediscovered success is coming at the right time for the Twins.