room for improvement

Six Magnolia State pitching products have started games in the big leagues this season. They’ve won four games between them in those 23 starts, and only one has an ERA under 4.44. Mississippi State product Brandon Woodruff, who’ll start today for Milwaukee against the Los Angeles Dodgers, has two of those wins (and a loss) despite a 5.23 ERA, which can largely be attributed to one bad game. He has a tough assignment today. He’ll face Cody Bellinger and the other mashers from the Dodgers at Miller Park, and he’ll be opposed by Clayton Kershaw, making his second start of 2019 after looking sharp in his debut. And Kershaw surely hasn’t forgotten that home run that Woodruff hit against him last October. State product Dakota Hudson is also on the bump today for St. Louis, facing the New York Mets at Busch Stadium. Hudson is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in four games, though he did notch a save in his one relief appearance for St. Louis. He has a tough assignment, as well. He’ll be opposed by Noah Syndergaard. … Among the other Mississippi-connected starters: Ex-Ole Miss star Lance Lynn is 2-1, 4.44 in his first season with Texas; Madison Central High alum Spencer Turnbull, a rookie with Detroit, has been the most consistent of the sextet with a 3.43 ERA but has an 0-2 record. Drew Pomeranz, the former Ole Miss standout, is also 0-2 and has a 4.82 ERA in his first season with San Francisco. And former MSU star Chris Stratton, traded in March from the Giants to the Los Angeles Angels, is 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA for his new club.