Matthews relishes opportunity to lift up Twins in wake of injury news

HOUSTON -- The Twins keep taking hits. The remaining players keep stepping up.

On a day when the Twins received yet more discouraging news, Zebby Matthews got the chance to set the tone for a resilient team and he did exactly that. Matthews pitched seven outstanding innings for his third straight strong start, and Minnesota blasted three homers off of Peter Lambert as the Twins opened a tough road trip with a 5-4 win against the Astros at Daikin Park.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Twins learned they would be without reliever Anthony Banda for a period of months due to a lat injury, and that Byron Buxton’s status is in question due to what has been diagnosed as a right hip impingement. But they came out and played one of their crispest games of the year, with strong infield defense, an exceptional start from Matthews and another night racking up extra bases at the plate.

It’s the kind of thing they’ve been doing since the beginning of Spring Training, when an injury to Pablo López became the first of a litany of injuries this team has had to overcome. But they continue undaunted, getting back up every time they get knocked down.

“But this is a resilient group,” said manager Derek Shelton. “Anything that gets thrown at them, they continue to go. I was really proud. I thought Lambert threw the ball really well. We had a couple runs, and they kind of answered back, but our guys keep going.”

Matthews, who did not make the team out of camp and initially was recalled from Triple-A due to an injury to Taj Bradley, relished the chance to put his team on his back following the disheartening news about Banda.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I think the whole pitching staff, starters and bullpen, we have each other’s backs. So when somebody goes down, we’re going to pick each other up. When we have a bad outing out there, we’re all going to pick each other up. It’s a fun group to be a part of for sure.”

As for the baseball side of it, outings like Matthews’ on Monday will be critical if the Twins are to weather the loss of Banda, an injury that thins an already stretched relief corps. The third-year right-hander has shown an improved ability to pitch deep into games this year, going at least six innings in eight of his nine starts and lasting seven innings four times. That’s two more than any other Twins starter, even though he didn’t join the rotation until May 14.

Against the Astros, he stuck to his M.O., throwing strikes and pitching aggressively, and though Houston hit a few balls to the track, he mostly kept the ball in the park. A solo homer by Cam Smith was the only blemish on his line. Matthews struck out seven and walked one, and it was the third straight start that he went at least six innings with no more than two runs allowed. It’s the kind of pitching that defenders like playing behind.

“Obviously it’s a lot of fun,” said designated hitter Josh Bell. “Keeping guys on their toes out there, keeping the defense in games. You look up and it’s the sixth, seventh inning and he’s rolling. So it’s a lot of fun.”

Matthews leaned heavily on a cut fastball that had the Astros off balance all night, getting five whiffs on 14 swings against the pitch. He threw six different pitches at least six times each, and landed just under two-thirds of his 89 pitches for strikes.

His efficiency and ability to go long are a rarity in today’s game, and they’re a huge boost for a team that will need quality innings from its starters if it’s going to continue weathering storms for the next three months.

“With the way the game is today, it’s not necessarily something starters put a ton of focus on,” Matthews said. “It’s awesome. It saves the bullpen. It usually means you’re throwing pretty well. As far as what goes into that, a lot of just trying to get first-pitch outs. Work ahead in counts, force early contact. A lot of times it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s just trying to be on offense out there.”