The Minnesota Twins’ biggest late-season problem has been sitting right there on the mound, and it showed up again Monday against the San Francisco Giants.
For much of the second half, the Twins have been trying to dig out of holes their pitching staff created early. That has been especially costly because the offense has already struggled to produce consistently, and falling behind only makes everything harder. Zebby Matthews has been a major part of that story, particularly when he leaves Target Field.
The split is hard to ignore. Before Monday’s outing, Matthews had thrown 62 1/3 innings on the road with a 6.93 ERA and 17 home runs allowed. Those are rough numbers by any standard, and they only got worse after his start against the Giants.
At home, the picture looks completely different. Matthews had logged 63.0 innings at Target Field with a 2.57 ERA and just six home runs allowed.
He had made two fewer starts at home than on the road, yet the results were dramatically better. That gap is the kind of thing the Twins need him to solve if they want a cleaner version of this rotation going forward.
Monday night didn’t offer much relief. Matthews lasted five innings and gave up five runs, with two of those runs coming in each of the first two innings. He did allow only one home run, which is at least a step away from the damage that has piled up in his road starts, but the final line still wasn’t what the Twins needed.
Zebby Matthews (MIN) struck out nine and allowed five earned runs in five innings pic.twitter.com/rAngF0rLRj
There were some signs worth keeping, though. Matthews was locating well, especially to the glove side against left-handed hitters, and that matters because it suggests he’s still developing as a pitcher. His stuff wasn’t sharp on the day, but his command gave him a chance to stay in the game.
The first inning nearly turned into a short outing all by itself. Matthews needed 31 pitches to get through it, and it wouldn’t have been shocking if that had been the end of his night. Instead, he settled enough to work five innings and spare the bullpen from having to cover even more.
The strikeout totals also stood out. Matthews finished with nine strikeouts and 15 whiffs, which showed he had the Giants off balance once the game moved past those early innings.
The next step is obvious: he has to get settled sooner. That’s an adjustment Matthews and the Twins’ pitching department can work on this offseason.
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