Tigers 11, Twins 0: Yikes. Yuck. Other Words.

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of © Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Zebby Matthews - 6 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 4 K (81 pitches, 51 strikes (63% strikes))
Home Runs: None
Bottom 3 WPA: Zebby Matthews (-0.22), Brooks Lee (-0.06), Tristan Gray (-0.05)
Win Probability Chart

The Twins entered Thursday’s series finale against the Tigers in Detroit looking to secure a series victory. With a win, Minnesota would not only take the series, but also build a much-needed response within the division. Instead, it turned into a rough afternoon from the start.

Zebby Matthews took the mound coming off seven strong innings in his previous outing, but the Tigers quickly seized control and never let go, rolling to an 11-0 win that sent Minnesota to another frustrating defeat. The Twins dropped to 31-39 on the season.

EARLY OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES SET THE TONE
Detroit starter Keider Montero needed just eight pitches to dispatch the top of the Twins’ order in the first inning, setting an early tone of dominance. Trevor Larnach popped out, Byron Buxton popped out, and Kody Clemens struck out to end a quick frame.

The only real spark early came in the second inning, when Royce Lewis worked an eight-pitch at-bat and lined a two-out single. Minnesota couldn’t build on it. That pattern repeated throughout the afternoon—brief baserunners, but no sustained pressure.

MATTHEWS RUNS INTO EARLY TROUBLE AGAIN
The first inning immediately tested Matthews, as Kevin McGonigle ripped a leadoff double that just barely stayed in the park. A sacrifice fly from Riley Greene brought home the game’s first run, giving Detroit a 1-0 lead before Matthews had settled in. He did briefly stabilize, needing just 21 pitches through two innings, but the third and fourth proved costly.

In the fourth, Dillon Dingler continued his strong series against Minnesota with a double, and Austin Martin made a highlight-reel diving catch to save additional damage. Still, the Tigers broke through when Colt Keith drove in a run, and Spencer Torkelson launched a two-run homer to left, turning a tight game into a 4-0 lead.

Matthews’s efficiency couldn’t mask the damage—he continued to avoid long innings, but the ball kept leaving the yard or finding gaps. It felt like the TGwins gave him strict instructions to keep filling up the zone no matter what, since they needed length from him to reset their bullpen. He did his best, but paid for that approach.

TIGERS BREAK IT OPEN WITH THE LONG BALL
The fifth inning brought more of the same. Gleyber Torres jumped on a fastball and sent it over the right-field wall for a solo homer, pushing the lead to 5-0. In the sixth, Colt Keith added another blast—this time a no-doubt shot to right-center—making it 7-0 and marking Matthews’s third home run allowed of the day. It was the first dinger Keith had hit all season.

Despite pitching efficiently in terms of pitch count, Matthews couldn’t escape the long ball, and Detroit steadily stretched the lead. By the time his outing ended, he had thrown six innings on just 81 pitches, but had allowed seven runs and three home runs in a difficult start.

NO ANSWERS OFFENSIVELY
The Twins’ offense never found traction against Montero or the Detroit bullpen. A brief seventh-inning rally saw Lewis collect his second hit of the day and Victor Caratini add a single, but Minnesota stranded runners and couldn’t break through. Earlier opportunities were few and far between, and even when they reached base, the Twins struggled to deliver anything resembling a sustained threat.

LATE INNINGS TURN INTO A ROUT
The game spiraled further in the late innings. After Matthews exited, the Tigers continued to pour it on. Kerry Carpenter added a walk, Riley Greene homered again in the seventh, and Dillon Dingler collected yet another hit in a dominant series.

The eighth inning turned into a full-blown avalanche, with Detroit hitting multiple home runs to extend the lead to double digits against position-player pitcher Alex Jackson. The ninth inning came and went quickly, as Lewis struck out looking to end the game, sealing an 11-0 defeat.

It was a series that began with opportunity and ended with a lopsided loss, as Minnesota once again struggled to compete within the division. The Twins will head into their next stretch still searching for consistency on both sides of the ball after a day where nothing clicked in Detroit.

What’s Next?
The Twins return home tomorrow to begin a three-game weekend series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Stopper Joe Ryan toes the rubber for Minnesota, and it’ll be right-hander Kyle Leahy for St. Louis. First pitch is set for 7:10 PM.

Postgame Interviews
Coming Soon!

Bullpen Availability Chart

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[thelanges5]

Gleeman:
Twins are now 65-97 in their last 162 games, which is the worst record in the American League.

Most career homers allowed per nine innings in Twins history (minimum 150 innings):

1.88 — Dave Stevens
1.82 — Zebby Matthews
1.81 — Scott Aldred

[purplesoldier4u]

The front office has failed the team and the fans ... AGAIN!

[KirbyDome89]

MLB needs to ban these embarrassing 8th/9th inning position player pitching appearances. Seriously. Idk exactly how you legislate that with the Ohtani situation in LA, but non pitchers throwing non-competitive pitches is gross; it needs to stop. 

[Thumbs Down Guy]

Does anyone know what the Twins record is in get-away games over the last two or three years? It seems to me they are really bad in them. But, it could also be right in line with their overall record.

[Vanimal46]

I wonder if Tom P thinks 72.5 wins set before the season is still ridiculous? Haven’t heard from him in a while…

[Aggies7]

31 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

MLB needs to ban these embarrassing 8th/9th inning position player pitching appearances. Seriously. Idk exactly how you legislate that with the Ohtani situation in LA, but non pitchers throwing non-competitive pitches is gross; it needs to stop. 

It used to be interesting because it rarely happened. Now it just happens because we don’t even have a guy capable of getting outs in a blow out situation

[1985Fan]

It should be clear now to Tom Pohlad, Twins FO, and the fans (including me), that this roster is not competitive. Time for the rebuild. Out with the old (Bell, Clemons, Arcia, Kreidler) in with the new (Sabato, Fedko, KC, others). No sense continuing with lopsided losses, unless they’re trying out the new players. 
I thought the SP could keep this team afloat, but the injuries and ineffectiveness is proving me wrong. 

[Aggies7]

Seems to me like the ceiling for a lot of these “young” pitchers is a number 4 man. At very best.

[Mike Sixel]

9 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I wonder if Tom P thinks 72.5 wins set before the season is still ridiculous? Haven’t heard from him in a while…

He's awful quiet now ....

This team is terrible, and everyone should be traded except a few pitchers and Keaschell, who I still think will bounce back at some point. 

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Aggies7 said:

Seems to me like the ceiling for a lot of these “young” pitchers is a number 4 man. At very best.

This is why I'd seriously consider Flora in the draft. You can only build so much without top talent. 

[DJL44]

The Twins were able to maximize platoon advantages by using three shortstops to go 0 for 4.

[thelanges5]

Outman claimed by the Tigers. He’s got no options so he’ll be on the MLB roster.

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Outman claimed by the Tigers. He’s got no options so he’ll be on the MLB roster.

Wow 

[DJL44]

Royce Lewis in 5 games since returning 

.316/.381/.526

[Woof Bronzer]

15 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I wonder if Tom P thinks 72.5 wins set before the season is still ridiculous? Haven’t heard from him in a while…

He was very clear that he wants the 2026 season to be judged not on payroll but on wins and losses.  

 

[AceWrigley]

10 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Outman claimed by the Tigers. He’s got no options so he’ll be on the MLB roster.

I guess they need someone to catch the ball in CF, cuz he sure can't hit it.

[CRF]

Can you say "sellers"? I can. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

24 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I wonder if Tom P thinks 72.5 wins set before the season is still ridiculous? Haven’t heard from him in a while…

Wipe. Wash. Rinse. Dry. Repeat. That is Tom's way. But I'm guessing that he's one of the guys that leaves the men's room skipping steps 2-5. 

[Road trip]

29 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I wonder if Tom P thinks 72.5 wins set before the season is still ridiculous? Haven’t heard from him in a while…

Ridiculous... as in ridiculously optimistic?  I'm starting to think so.  Starting to look like a team that will win about 65 this year.

Yikes and Yuck are good words for this, but I think I'd choose "Yawn".  I don't see much upside for this collection of position players, and the young pitchers are now getting beat up pretty good.

[nicksaviking]

22 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

He was very clear that he wants the 2026 season to be judged not on payroll but on wins and losses.  

 

Well if there originally were three options, he only left us with one.

[Hunter4848]

28 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Royce Lewis in 5 games since returning 

.316/.381/.526

What's your point?

[thelanges5]

Twins have scored 2 runs or less in 20 games (29% of games played) this season and are 1-19 in those games

[DJL44]

13 minutes ago, Hunter4848 said:

What's your point?

What’s yours?

[DJL44]

1 minute ago, thelanges5 said:

Twins have scored 2 runs or less in 20 games (29% of games played) this season and are 1-19 in those games

I can’t imagine any team has a good record when they don’t score runs.

[ashbury]

7 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I can’t imagine any team has a good record when they don’t score runs.

I think the idea is less about trying to improve the 1-19 record through stellar pitching in those instances, and more about trying to have fewer than 20 such games to deal with already.

[Danchat]

Zebby is a strange starter, he can consistently go 6+ innings which is rare these days, but he just gives up so many darn HRs. I really thought he could work as a #4-5 starter going forward but maybe a move to the bullpen is in his future.

LOL @ Outman going to the Tigers. They do have a few outfielders who are Outman-level of incompetence at the plate so I guess it makes a little bit of sense. You have to remember coming into this series they were 13 games below .500, they had to get there somehow.

[jkcarew]

54 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Royce Lewis in 5 games since returning 

.316/.381/.526

I want to be convinced. I honestly do. But I’m not. Still trying to pull everything…and I don’t think that’s a strength for him (like you can argue it is for Buxton).

[LastOnePicked]

Here's the thing ... there's a lot more of these kinds of losses to come. A lot more.

For everyone who thinks that a total take-your-lumps rebuild doesn't work, just look over at the White Sox. The Twins could gave started this process after 2024, but they've wasted opportunities. As a result, success is still further away than it needed to be. 

So the time to start is now. Right now. And it's gonna be 3+ years of truly dreadful baseball. But at least it might lead somewhere. The approach they took this offseason leads nowhere forever.

[Blyleven2011]

Listened to game on radio , didn't miss seeing any highlights on TV , cause the players weren't capable of making any ...

Another blowout , our starting pitching , once a strength is now riddled with injuries and players not up for the task ...

Only been shut out twice this season  , why does it feel like a lot more ...

Twins have given up double digit losses in 9 games , that to feels like alot more ...

Coming home to face the Cardinals  , not expecting much with current rostered players , changes should be made ...