Pirates 9, Twins 3: Red-Hot Pirates Punish Matthews, Sweep Staggered Twins Home

[Hans Birkeland]

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Zebby Matthews: 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 7 K (100 Pitches, 63 Strikes, 63%)
Home Runs: Brooks Lee 2 (8)
Bottom 3 WPA: Matthews (-0.25), Orlando Arcia (-0.07), Austin Martin (-0.06)
Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant):

After playing quite well against some traditionally strong franchises in the Astros and Red Sox, the Twins have struggled mightily against two perennial laughstocks, the White Sox and the Pirates. Granted, these teams are much better this year and feature plethoras of young, intriguing talent.

Speaking of which, the Twins were tasked with facing Braxton Ashcraft, starting for Pittsburgh. Ashcraft is a former second-round pick and features a 98-MPH fastball and 93-MPH slider. Over 138 innings in his career, he carries a sub-3.00 ERA and a 25% strikeout rate—not a bad complement to Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller in their rotation.

Ashcraft encountered very little resistance from the Byron Buxton-less Twins lineup. Brooks Lee struck out on three fastballs, while Trevor Larnach struck out on three straight sliders. Josh Bell began the second inning with a sharp single, but was erased on the next pitch on a double play tapper from (first baseman?) Orlando Arcia.

Zebby Matthews made the start for the Twins and had a solid first inning, locating his array of pitches and striking out Bryan Reynolds on a nasty changeup to end the inning. He would start to unravel in the second, however. Ryan O'Hearn got Matthews on a cement-mixer slider that resulted in a home run to the right field corner, Oneil Cruz walked, and Jake Mangum and Jared Triolo slapped opposite-field singles to bring in a second run.

The third inning featured a hit-by-pitch to Reynolds, and then, with two outs (perhaps not wanting to face Cruz with two men on), Matthews hung another slider, this one to Nick Gonzales, who launched for his first home run of the year, doubling the deficit and sullying Matthews's line.

Matthews had good command of his fastball, which sat 93-96 MPH and only allowed a single hit on the pitch until the fifth, when perhaps he began to rely too much on it. Spencer Horwitz laced a double to the gap, and Brandon Lowe brought him in with a long single to the right field corner. After striking out O'Hearn on a nice breaking ball, Matthews gave way to newly added Mike Paredes, who began his Twins career with eight straight balls, walking in a run before allowing a sacrifice fly to Jake Mangum for the seventh run on Matthew's line. Nine-hole hitter Henry Davis then looped a single to drive in the eighth and ninth runs. On the second-hand embarrassment scale, Paredes's debut was between an episode of The Office and watching Chet Holmgren try to score on Victor Wembanyama.

The long layoff while his team scored four runs perhaps rattled Ashcraft, as he walked Alex Jackson before leaving a fastball in Brooks Lee's nitro zone. Lee smacked a home run down the right field line, a two-run shot. Ashcraft then remembered he was dealing, and struck out Kody Clemens and Bell easily.

Paredes looked a lot better in his second inning, giving up a bloop single to O'Hearn but striking out Gonzales for his first strikeout. He pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, as well. Meanwhile, the Twins could muster almost nothing against the Pirates bullpen.

Stuff I'm Tracking:

-Luke Keaschall had an infield hit, and will finish May with an .800 OPS, including an OBP over .400 in the month. His defense isn't great, but that stat line will play.

-Simeon Woods Richardson was designated for assignment a day before Bailey Ober was placed on the IL with elbow inflammation. That's not great. If Woods Richardson clears waivers, that would be nice in terms of maintaining depth, but if his splitter continues to be terrible (.352 BA against), I can't see him having any viability in any team's rotation or bullpen.

-Did James Outman make some deal with Danhausen? Combining Matt Wallner's demotion, the injuries to Buxton, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez and the front office's hatred of Kyler Fedko, Outman's runway (despite terrible play) certainly seems supernatural.

-These Pirates seem legit. Their offense is top-10 in the league with the additions of O'Hearn and Brandon Lowe standing out, their starting pitching is solid and features three buzzsaws in Skenes, Ashcraft and Jared Jones. If they can fortify their bullpen at the deadline, maybe by acquiring a closer who can push Gregory Soto to an eighth-inning role, I see no reason why they can't compete in the National League.

What’s Next: The Twins return home to face the White Sox, who took three of four from the Twins in Chicago this past week. Joe Ryan (3-3, 2.94 ERA) faces David Sandlin (1-0, 1.50 ERA). Ryan was brilliant against the Sox last week, up until Munetaka Murakami touched him for an eighth-inning two-run homer. Fortunately for Ryan, Murikami is on the IL, but the Sox are still feisty.

Postgame Interviews:

Bullpen Usage Chart:

	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	TOT
Paredes	0	0	0	0	60	60
Orze	29	0	23	0	0	52
Klein	0	0	0	39	0	39
Banda	0	14	18	0	0	32
Gómez	0	17	14	0	0	31
Morris	0	29	0	0	0	29
Funderburk	0	0	0	27	0	27
Rogers	0	7	12	0	0	19
Laweryson	0	0	16	0	0	16

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[USAFChief]

Yuk.

[Wedman13]

14 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Yuk.

This entire organization is a disaster.  Hate to be extreme but Jesus, put Buck and Ryan out of their misery and set them free.  From ownership to the TV situation to underperformers to key MLB injuries, to having to call up washed out vets to having top prospects continually injured... it as low a point since contraction was threatened.  There is no pitching at AAA and AA is an embarrassment  (check out the team BA then name me 1 pitcher).  I've tried to be positive, but do not see any answers.  

I feel bad for the writers trying to keep this site relevant.

[mrguy]

With Paredes being the guy up with Ober out, I wonder what the plan is for the starter role given Paredes came on in bulk relief today? No shot Adams was the starter option of the two that got called up, right? Either way, Paredes' debut was overall solid, obviously giving up back to back walks to start the outing was rough(and the catchers interference absolutely didn't help to make the inning smoother), but after that he was pretty in control only allowing one hit and one walk in the remaining 3 innings he went out for and striking out 3 all on whiffs. The stuff generally profiled fine too with his fastball surprisingly getting whiffs despite profiling as his weakest pitch. Now that the last minute debut nerves are gone, I'll be curious to see both if they keep him up long enough to get another appearance and if he adapts to big league hitters more efficiently if he does.

[Saxophone Joe]

5 minutes ago, mrguy said:

With Paredes being the guy up with Ober out, I wonder what the plan is for the starter role given Paredes came on in bulk relief today? No shot Adams was the starter option of the two that got called up, right? 

Shelty said postgame there currently isn’t a plan in place for Bailey’s spot, and the expression on his face tells me he was being truthfully. Nice! 🤦🏼‍♂️ 

What a difference a week makes. Was feeling great this time last Sunday! Now it feels like the wheels are coming off.

[GNess]

The injuries to SP and the general mediocrity of the Bull Pen have been too much for this team to overcome the past week. Hoping it is not signs of things to come, but I suspect it likely is just that.

[D.C Twins]

Sliver Lining.... our position will be clear and accurate by the trade deadline.

Ryan, Larnach, Jeffers, and Buck (if he wants) need to be traded to complete rebuild started last year. 

Ryan and Jefferes are not signing extensions at this point and we will not win a free agency bidding war.

We have plenty of young outfielders that will need ABs making Larnach superfluous

Happy to keep him but FREE BUCK if he wants to compete for a championship! 

I don't think any other players older than 25 on this roster are worth anything in a trade... but would be happy to be proven wrong!

 

[big dog]

Dear Tom Pohlad, 

Glad your plan is in place. Keep up the great work. 
big dog

[ashbury]

"Red hot."  The Pirates were on a 5-8 run when the Twins came to town.  There's every chance that our Twins are going to be a Get Well card for a bunch more teams this season.