Ober threw two perfect innings with one strikeout in Friday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. However, his fastball averaged just 89.9 mph and topped out at 91.1 mph, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
The results look good, but he was essentially facing Atlanta's "B" lineup, and notably the velocity Ober showed earlier in camp was not there. While he's never been a particularly hard thrower, a significant bounce-back from his 5.10 ERA last season may prove difficult if he can't find a little more zip on the pitch he throws more than one-third of the time. Ober figures to make three more spring starts before slotting in behind Joe Ryan in the Twins' season-opening rotation.