MINNEAPOLIS – As auditions go, it couldn’t have been much better.
Guaranteed only one game but making a case that he deserves more, Zebby Matthews turned in one of the best outings of his career in a spot start for the Twins on Thursday afternoon. Matthews tossed seven shutout innings, allowing four hits and one walk against five strikeouts in a 9-1 win against the Marlins. It was the longest scoreless outing of Matthews’ career, and the third time he’s gone seven innings in the Major Leagues.
“He executed his plan throughout the day,” said manager Derek Shelton. “Changeup was good, fastball location was good. Overall, really impressive outing by Zebby.”
Matthews needed only 83 pitches to get those 21 outs, showcasing the talent of a top-tier starter that he’s displayed at various moments over the last two seasons. Matthews’ gem sent Minnesota to its second straight series win.
“I think it’s important to try to stay aggressive on the mound, not nibble too much to the hitters and just keep pounding the zone,” Matthews said. “Make them put swings on it. We got quick outs today, so it worked well.”
Miami poked two singles against Matthews in the first inning, getting a runner into scoring position with one out, and then didn’t really threaten him again. He allowed a two-out double in the fourth, and a one-out single in the fifth that was immediately erased by a double play, but the right-hander was in total control for the vast majority of his outing.
Matthews threw more than 67 percent of his pitches for strikes, and averaged 94.8 miles per hour on his four-seam fastball. He mixed in a curveball, changeup, slider and cutter, and never so much as opened the door for Miami to threaten after the first.
He threw 14 first-pitch fastballs, 12 of them for strikes.
“He went out there and attacked the zone,” said right fielder Austin Martin. “Had some great pace. It’s really easy to play defense behind guys like that that are constantly in the zone. They get the ball back from the catcher, get on the mound and start attacking the hitter. I think that he looked great.”
Officially, Matthews was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul so that the Twins could give rookie Connor Prielipp an extra couple of days as Prielipp navigates his first season in the Major Leagues. Prielipp will start Saturday. Practically, it’s difficult to ignore the context of Matthews’ performance, coming 18 hours after yet another discouraging outing from Simeon Woods Richardson.
With Mick Abel and Taj Bradley both on the injured list, there are opportunities even if the Twins elect not to make a move with Woods Richardson. Only Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are established, healthy, and pitching well, and it would be hard to justify not giving Matthews another start.
“I think when people pitch well, or perform well, regardless of what side of the ball it’s on, always goes into conversations of what we do moving forward,” Shelton said.
Matthews spent most of 2025 in the Twins' rotation, and finished the season with a super start in Texas. He entered camp as a favorite to earn a starting spot again. But he scuffled some in Spring Training, and Abel pitched superbly, resulting in Matthews being optioned to St. Paul.
He began the Minor League season with two poor starts but has come on strong since, with 28 strikeouts and eight walks over his last five St. Paul outings, and a 2.67 ERA in that span.
Meanwhile, the Twins have one open rotation spot amid their injuries, and that’s not even accounting for the struggles of Woods Richardson, who has a 9.79 ERA over his last seven starts. There are no guarantees for Matthews, but his upside remains tantalizing, and his performance Thursday was all the club could ask for.
“When you’re kind of playing the up-and-down game between the big leagues and Triple-A, it can be tough,” Matthews said. “But you use that opportunity in Triple-A. We’ve got great coaches and great staff, a great team there. Obviously use that opportunity to continue to build things and work on things, and then when your number’s called here you come out here and perform and pitch well here.”