Matthews (right foot laceration) not expected to miss time after exiting start vs. Yankees

NEW YORK -- The Twins are optimistic that right-hander Zebby Matthews will make his next start after exiting Saturday’s game in the fifth inning with a right foot laceration.

“The way it is right now, I would not foresee him missing a start, but we’ll look at it the next couple days and see how it goes,” manager Derek Shelton said after the game.

Matthews was more straightforward.

“I hate that it happened, but I’ll be back next week,” he said.

Matthews said that he cut his foot on his first pitch to Yankees center fielder Max Schuemann in the bottom of the fifth inning during Saturday’s 11-4 victory. By that point, there was already a large divot on the mound where Matthews strides. But because of the heat, the hole hardened, creating a sharper edge. On top of that, the sweat caused the skin on Matthews’ foot to soften.

Matthews allowed a home run on the sixth pitch of the at-bat to Schuemann, then issued an eight-pitch walk to Trent Grisham. After throwing a first pitch ball to Ben Rice, he crouched over in discomfort and twirled around on the mound.

That prompted a visit from Shelton and head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta. Catcher Alex Jackson was the first to notice that something was askew.

“A little something that just didn’t look right in his delivery,” Jackson said. “Just wanted to check and see.”

The cut limited Matthews’ ability to rotate and get down the mound. As a result, the execution on his pitches suffered; he retired only one of the four batters that he faced after the injury.

Matthews threw one warm-up pitch from a slightly different position on the mound, so that he’d land in a different spot -- and not in the hole. He deemed himself good to go, but then proceeded to walk Rice.

“By that point, the cut was already big, so it didn’t do a ton,” Matthews said.

Shelton and Paparesta re-emerged from the dugout to remove him from the game with two outs and two on. Ultimately, Matthews was charged with four runs across 4 2/3 innings. He allowed three hits, walked four and threw 79 pitches (45 strikes) -- 32 of which came in the fifth inning.

Up to that point, the Yankees could not touch Matthews, who limited the Bombers to just one hit across the first four frames.

“Very frustrated that it happened because I was on pace to get through six and save the bullpen again,” Matthews said. “I wasn’t able to do that.”

The Twins used four relievers to record the game’s final 13 outs.

Of late, the 26-year-old Matthews has become a dependable presence in the Twins’ rotation. He had allowed two runs or fewer while competing at least six innings in each of his past three starts, carrying a 4.15 ERA into Saturday’s game.

Injuries have tested Minnesota’s pitching depth throughout the season. Recent injuries to right-handers Mick Abel and Bailey Ober -- the latter scheduled to make his second rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday night -- have pressed rookie Mike Paredes into the rotation. Needless to say, any sort of injury to Matthews would certainly be a further strain.