Giants 5, Twins 2: Aaron Sabato Debuts, But Zebby Matthews Stumbled

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Box Score
SP: Zebby Matthews 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
HR: Brooks Lee (24), Emmanuel Rodríguez (2)
Bottom 3 WPA: Matthews -0.27, Ryan Jeffers -0.06, Luke Keaschall -0.05
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

The Twins aren't playing for much these days. With just two series remaining in the 2026 season, the standings have largely stopped mattering. The Twins came into San Francisco having split a four-gamer in Anaheim over the weekend, but whether they win or lose these final games isn't particularly important. What does matter is what they can learn.

Monday night's 5-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants provided plenty of features of interest, from another uneven outing for Zebby Matthews to the major-league debut of Aaron Sabato and an encouraging moment from one of the organization's most important young players, Emmanuel Rodríguez. The Twins are already looking toward 2027, and these final games give the organization an opportunity to evaluate players who could play important roles next season.

Zebby Matthews's Uncertain Future

There may not be a player on the Twins roster with a wider gap between his ceiling and his floor than Matthews. At his best, he's looked like a frontline starting pitcher. At his worst, he's looked like a pitcher who should eventually find himself in the bullpen.

The Twins already have Joe Ryan, Pablo López and Taj Bradley locked into their rotation for 2027, leaving two spots that figure to be contested by Connor Prielipp, Mick Abel, Matthews and Dean Kremer. Matthews does not appear particularly likely to end up in the bullpen at this point, but a strong finish to the season could have helped his case for one of those final rotation spots. His start Monday did not do much to strengthen that case.

Matthews allowed eight hits and five earned runs over five innings against a Giants lineup that looked more like a Triple-A corps than a major-league one. The damage started immediately in the first inning when Matthews allowed three consecutive hits, including a two-run single from Giants third baseman Brett Harris. San Francisco added two more runs in the second, on a two-run single from Minnesota native Drew Gilbert. Gilbert struck again in the fifth inning with his 11th home run of the season.

There were some positives for Matthews. He generated 15 swings and misses and struck out nine batters, showing the stuff that has made the Twins believe there's still a significant ceiling here. The problem is that the quality of the Giants lineup makes those numbers a little more difficult to evaluate. Against this particular opponent, the five earned runs were ultimately more concerning than the strikeout and whiff totals were encouraging.

Matthews may get one more opportunity to pitch before the season ends, but he currently sits with a 4.90 ERA over just over 130 innings. What the Twins decide to do with him this offseason could be one of the more fascinating pitching decisions of the winter. There's still a version of Matthews who looks like a major-league starter, but Monday was another reminder that getting that version consistently remains the challenge.

Aaron Sabato Finally Gets His Chance

The other major storyline entering the game was the long-awaited major-league debut of Aaron Sabato. The Twins selected Sabato with the 27th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, and six years later, the first baseman finally made it to the majors at age 27. His path to the majors was winding. Sabato had to work his way out of the prospect bust conversation just to put himself in position to receive this opportunity. He posted a .877 OPS with 29 home runs in Triple-A this season, earning his call-up and finally getting the opportunity that had seemed increasingly unlikely throughout his minor-league career.

His first night in the majors certainly did not go the way he dreamed it would. Sabato went 0-for-3 and saw just eight pitches. In his first plate appearance, he struck out swinging at an 84-mph sweeper. In his second, he flew out to center field on the first pitch he saw. His final at-bat came with runners on first and second, but he grounded into an inning-ending double play.

That's obviously not the debut Sabato would have drawn up. But the important part is that he's here. After six years in the organization, Sabato finally has his name in the major-league record books, and he will have more opportunities to get that first career hit.

For a player who had to work extremely hard to even get this opportunity, one 0-for-3 night does little to change the larger story. The Twins wanted to see what Sabato could do against major league pitching, and now they have the chance to find out.

Emmanuel Rodríguez Keeps Getting Valuable Reps

Brooks Lee provided some of the Twins' offense Monday, launching his 24th home run of the season as his power surge continues. But the biggest offensive highlight came from Rodríguez in the eighth inning. The rookie launched his second home run of the season, sending a ball into the deepest part of center field for an impressive reminder of the talent the Twins have invested heavily in.

These games may be meaningless from a standings perspective, but they are anything but meaningless for Rodríguez. The Twins are going to need plenty from him next season. Getting him regular opportunities against major-league pitching, allowing him to make adjustments, and giving him the chance to experience success is an important part of his development. A home run like Monday's is exactly the sort of moment the Twins want to see as they evaluate what Rodríguez can become in 2027.

The same can be said for many of the young players getting opportunities during these final games. The Twins aren't trying to salvage their 2026 season. They're trying to learn as much as possible before they have to start making decisions about the next one. The Twins ultimately fell to the Giants 5-2 and dropped to 73-84 on the season with five games remaining.

What's Next

The Twins will continue their series in San Francisco on Tuesday at 8:45 p.m. Taj Bradley will take the mound for Minnesota and face Giants righty Anthony Molina.

Postgame Interviews

Coming soon...

Bullpen Usage Chart

	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN	MON	TOT
Rogers	0	0	26	0	25	51
Gomez	18	0	24	0	0	42
Adams	0	10	0	0	20	30
Morris	13	0	15	0	0	28
Hoffman	5	0	19	0	0	24
Nance	0	23	0	0	0	23
Minter	14	0	8	0	0	22
Funderburk	1	0	2	0	0	3

 

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[thelanges5]

Gleeman:

Giants 5, Twins 2.

Twins are now 16-30 vs. National League teams, which is tied for the second-worst interleague record in MLB.

[Parfigliano]

Blah game.  Brightside Sabato didn't K so he can make contact against MLB pitching. 

[Parfigliano]

1 minute ago, thelanges5 said:

Gleeman:

Giants 5, Twins 2.

Twins are now 16-30 vs. National League teams, which is tied for the second-worst interleague record in MLB.

If TC loses the next 2 against SF can they get the worst interleague record in MLB?

[thelanges5]

Jeffers is going to make some $$ this offseason but he has looked like crap for the last month or so. 

[Nashvilletwin]

Was Sabato missing his equipment tonight?  If so, tough way to make your MLB debut.  You work your butt off for seven years and then Delta Airlines  loses your luggage.  Hard to make that up.

[Mai.K]

Sabato didn’t manage to take a single ball in his three plate appearances today.

Everything was either a foul ball, a ball in play, or a strike...

It’s disappointing that his long-awaited MLB debut went about as badly as it could have, but I still hope he gets consistent opportunities over these final five games.

Matthews is a tough one...

He looked so good against the Yankees in his last start, and then today he struggled against the Giants.

I’m not ready to give up on him yet, but it feels like time is no longer on his side.