It got a bit scary at the end, but Andrew Morris finally nailed down a badly-needed win for the Twins against the A’s on Monday night, 9-6, after a great offensive night and a brilliant start from Zebby Matthews. The win helped Minnesota keep pace in the American League Central and Wild Card races, and with barely over a month left in the season, ultimately that’s all that matters.
But it also featured some developments that could loom large as the Twins approach a string of games that will likely determine their postseason fate. Here are three notable aspects of Monday’s win and why they matter going forward.
Zebby deals
Everything starts with starting pitching. It always has, it always will. Your bullpen is in a bit of a funk? Save them some innings with a quality start. Your offense is scuffling? Keep it close so one or two hits can change the game.
And since Joe Ryan went on the injured list, the Twins have been in dire need of starters to step up. Entering Monday, their starters' ERA since Ryan’s last start on Aug. 4 was 5.32, fourth-worst in the Majors. Ryan will take a next step in his rehab with a live batting practice session on Wednesday, but he’s almost certainly at least two weeks away from a return. Meanwhile, Kendry Rojas, who would be the team’s sixth starter, was just placed on the injured list at Triple-A St. Paul.
It was against that backdrop that Matthews went out and dealt in a tough ballpark, equaling a career high with seven outstanding innings.
His 23 whiffs were the second most by a Twins pitcher this year behind Taj Bradley, who had 25 on July 7. It was only the third time in 12 games that a Twins starter completed six innings, and the first time since Aug. 10 that Minnesota’s starter made it through six with fewer than five runs allowed.
“It was huge,” said teammate Ryan Kreidler, who homered Monday. “His stuff looked really good. He’s always a competitor, that’s never a question with Zebby. He’s always in the zone and trying to help the team win, so it was huge for him.”
Buck looks like himself
For three months, Byron Buxton looked not just like the Twins’ best player, but an MVP candidate. He woke up on June 27 with a .276/.331/.588 line that had him on the way to an All-Star selection. Then a hip issue that first flared up in May acted up again. He sat out four games in late June and early July, then went on the injured list in mid-July. He lasted only eight games before the condition put him back on the shelf, and since his latest return, he hasn’t performed at his usual level.
Buxton entered Monday with a .129/.270/.161 line since he was reinstated on Aug. 13. The Twins need more from their franchise player – not entirely coincidentally, they went 3-6 in those nine games.
On Monday, he looked like himself. Buxton collected three hits and a walk, scored four runs, flashed impressive speed on the bases, and was absolutely the catalyst for an offensive outburst. It was his best game in almost two months, and there’s nothing that could help the Twins more than seeing Buxton get hot.
“I think the quality of at-bats [was] really important,” said manager Derek Shelton. “He had a really big challenge there that led to a walk, that kind of helped spear a big inning. But overall, I just thought he was a little bit more patient today. I know he swung at some first pitches, but I think overall in his at-bats he did a good job of staying within his zone.”
Right-handed depth
It’s well known, going back years, that the Twins struggle against left-handed pitching. They’re showing lately that that doesn’t have to be the case. Shelton currently has the ability to roll out a lineup that is almost exclusively right-handed or switch-hitting against lefties, with dangerous depth up and down.
Luke Keaschall continued his successful adjustment to the leadoff spot with two doubles. Royce Lewis hit the ball hard even though he had only one hit to show for it. And rookie Kaelen Culpepper enjoyed his first four-hit game in the Majors.
Those three players can all be difference-makers, and turn this into a lineup lefties do not want to face.