Zebby Matthews gave the Twins six innings of the kind of pitching that can carry a rotation, striking out eight Yankees in Minnesota’s 5-4 victory over New York in 13 innings on Wednesday. The win ended a three-game Twins skid, while Matthews again showed the high-end ceiling that has followed him through his third Major League season.
Matthews sets the tone against Yankees
Matthews allowed two hits and two walks over six scoreless innings, working through a Yankees lineup loaded with left-handed threats and established right-handed hitters. Every one of his eight strikeouts came on swings, a reflection of how well his full mix played from the opening inning.
The right-hander sat at an average of 95.8 mph with his four-seam fastball, reaching 97 mph while attacking the upper part of the zone. His slider worked below the zone and away, while his curveball gave New York another look to account for. Matthews threw all six of his pitches for strikes and produced 14 whiffs.
His early work mattered. First-inning trouble has occasionally followed Matthews this season, but he escaped the opening frame by getting Aaron Judge to chase a slider. In the second, Spencer Jones swung through a curveball. Matthews also collected two swinging strikeouts with the fastball.
“It ranks up there with my best starts this year,” Matthews said. “Everything felt good for the most part, and I was able to keep them from getting comfortable. Ryan Jeffers did a really good job with the pitch selection, especially once we got to two strikes. We used the slider and curveball, then showed enough fastballs to keep them honest.”
A rotation-caliber performance
Wednesday marked Matthews’ fourth start this season with a game score of 70 or better. That matches Taj Bradley for the club lead, even though Matthews has made 22 starts.
Those outings have shown what Matthews can be when the fastball command is sharp and his offspeed pitches are landing in the right places. Manager Derek Shelton pointed to the challenge Matthews handled against a New York order featuring six left-handed hitters.
“You do not win five games in a month like he did in August and pitch that well against a strong lineup without having real ability,” Shelton said. “We have talked with Zebby about building weapons for left-handed hitters. He saw six lefties today, and the right-handed hitters were talented, too. He continues to improve, and that is important.”
Matthews went 5-0 in August, and his strongest starts have compared well with the best work from anyone in the Twins’ rotation. The remaining question is not whether he can deliver a front-of-the-rotation outing. He did that against the Yankees. It is whether he can bring that level more regularly and limit the damage when his command is less precise.
“It is good to know that level is there and that I have shown I can do it,” Matthews said. “The next step is doing it consistently. That could be preparation from week to week or the mindset once I am on the mound. We will keep working and make whatever adjustments are needed to make it happen more often.”
Game line
| Pitcher | Team | IP | H | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zebby Matthews | Twins | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
SEO Title: Zebby Matthews strikes out eight as Twins beat Yankees in 13 innings
SEO Description: Zebby Matthews worked six two-hit innings with eight strikeouts as the Twins edged the Yankees 5-4 in 13 innings, snapping a three-game losing streak.
