MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s safe to say, you can put the “Bailey Ober struggles against the Royals” storyline to rest.
For the third time this season, Ober pitched at least six innings and allowed one run against Kansas City, though the one run held up as the Royals eked out a 2-0 victory on Saturday at Target Field.
Going into 2025, Ober’s numbers against the Royals were nothing short of abysmal. In 10 career starts he was 0-4 with a 6.50 ERA. He’d also allowed 10 home runs in 44 1/3 innings against Kansas City.
On Saturday, he gave up four hits and a walk while striking out four batters. For the year, Ober has pitched 18 2/3 innings against Kansas City, allowing three runs on 16 hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts -- and no home runs.
“I think we've got to be pleased with what we got out of him today,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “All of his pitches look good. Worked through everything he needed to work through, pretty comfortably. Good day for Bailey. I mean, we'll take that.”
It was Ober’s second start after he missed all of July recovering from a left hip impingement that had nagged him long enough to throw his mechanics out of whack. Last Saturday in Cleveland, he threw five innings and allowed a pair of home runs among the four earned runs he was charged with, but the positive signs were already emerging.
“I feel like the main thing [the injury] was affecting is my spin pitches,” Ober said. “So today, being able to really drive and plant on that front leg and get my hand out in front and rip down on the baseball has played a big part in me getting back to being myself. Once everything calmed down, then it’s working on mechanical stuff and getting repetitions in there.
“Today and last game I’ve probably felt the best physically and mechanically for the whole season, even in the spring. So I feel like I’m making the right steps forward and today showed I’m slowly getting there.”
Ober was met with some tough luck when the Royals scored in the third inning. After retiring the first eight hitters of the game, Ober allowed a bloop single to center field by Kansas City’s No. 9 hitter, Kyle Isbel. Maikel Garcia followed with a ringing double to right-center to drive in the run and put the Royals on top, 1-0.
In the fifth inning, Ober got some help from his defense after allowing a one-out walk to Nick Loftin and a line drive single to center by Isbel. Garcia was poised to do more damage, but his hard one-hopper was hit directly at shortstop Brooks Lee, who started a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Otherwise, he retired the side in order three times, and pitched around a two-out single in the fourth. It was as sharp and efficient as Ober has looked since well before his injury-related struggles began in June.
“If you talk to him, it almost feels like he's got a sense of relief a little bit, because he's been going through it, and that's what this game will do to you,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “But he's as mentally tough as they come, and we all had confidence that he would get through the rough patch. Today he really came out and did what we needed him to do, and pitched with confidence, which is huge.”