Brandon Woodruff: Secret Ace? Through 42.1 IP as a starter this season, Woodruff now has an 11.5 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, 2.87 FIP, 3.32 xFIP. His success has been somewhat obscured by an inflated ERA (4.25) that has also dragged down his IP/GS. But according to all advanced metrics he has been fantastic. The last Brewers pitcher to finish a season with 150+ IP and a lower FIP was Chris Bosio in 1987. Actually only three Brewers pitchers have ever had 150+ IP and a lower FIP (Bosio, 1988 Teddy Higuera, 2004 Ben Sheets). Woodruff so far is having a very similar season, including the unfairly elevated ERA, to 2011 Zack Greinke (3.83 ERA, 2.98 FIP). With there being an outside chance that Jimmy Nelson comes back strong, with Davies and Anderson pitching closer to their 2017 forms, and with Gio Gonzalez looking decent so far, I think there is room for optimism in the starting rotation all of a sudden!