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Box Score:
Starting Pitcher: Zebby Matthews: 3 IP 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (71 Pitches, 42 Strikes, 59.2%)
Home Runs: Royce Lewis (1)
Bottom 3 WPA: Matthews (-0.225), Ryan Jeffers (-0.110), Harrison Bader (-0.060)
Win Probability Chart (Via Fangraphs):
Following another win coupled with another key injury, (Danny Coulombe with a forearm strain) the Twins turned to Zebby Matthews to continue their outlandish winning streak (and nearly as outlandish scoreless inning streak) Sunday. It wouldn't be easy, as Milwaukee was running out their ace, Freddy Peralta.
Peralta has been nails this year, the last remnant of the Brewers former three-headed monster that once included Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff (Woodruff resigned, but was only available because his shoulder was toast). The first two innings featured a Twins catcher hitting a sharp single as well as a hit by pitch, but Peralta worked out of trouble each time by making Twins hitters swing at exactly what he wanted them to, generally a fastball at the top of the zone.
Matthews started almost immaculately, causing Brewer's hitters fits, as if they were not aware Matthews throws a slider (the contact oriented Brice Turang swung at a slider for strike three that landed a foot in front of home plate). Two called strike threes followed, with a 98 MPH dart that caught William Contreras looking punctuating the inning.
The Brewers were not so accommodating in the second. They jumped on Matthews early in the count, allowing singles to Christian Yelich, Rhys Hoskins and Sal Frelick that ended the scoreless streak at 34 innings. It was up to Matthews to make the adjustment. He threw some better pitches in retiring Caleb Durbin and Joey Ortiz, but those guys weren't exactly lighting the world on fire.
He struck out Turang again in the third but walked Contreras and was robbed of a call against Yelich on 3-1, with a cutter clearly hitting the edge of the zone. He then walked Hoskins on four pitches, bringing up Isaac Collins with the bases loaded. Matthews started Collins with a fastball at 96 MPH middle-in, and Collins laced it into center field for a two-run single. After Matthews fell behind Frelick, the Brewers right fielder sat fastball and got it, and Matthews was lucky the ball wasn't deposited in the seats, with Frelick instead settling for an RBI single. After recording the final out, Matthews' day was done.
He did nibble, and was not granted several borderline calls, but similar to last year, was too predictable. The opposing hitters knew he would throw a lot of strikes with a fairly straight fastball, and they were aggressive. Once Matthews adjusted to throwing around the periphery of the zone, they became patient and waited him out. At that point, Matthews had also scrapped his breaking ball- his last 20 pitches of the inning were all fastballs and cutters. His stuff is better than last year, but his plan of attack still needs work.
Royce Lewis cut the deficit in the Twins half of the fourth, slamming a 417 foot home run off a Peralta fastball. That was a good sign, as the lineup needs Lewis to step up minus Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton. The two catchers and Kody Clemens have done an admirable job carrying the offense lately, but Lewis joining the party offers a tad more sustainability.
He then added a phenomenal play at third base in the fourth. The speedy Turang hit a swinging bunt that Lewis fielded bare-handed and threw a seed to first, beating Turang by half a step as part of a stabilizing 1-2-3 fourth inning from Cole Sands.
Unfortunately that was all Peralta was going to allow. He breezed through his fifth inning (although Clemens did hit a 390 foot fly ball as Peralta's final batter) and then gave way to the strength of the Brewers- their high leverage relief arms.
Abner Uribe knifed through the bottom of the Twins order in the sixth on the back of his 101 MPH turbo-sinker. The Twins did make some noise in the seventh, with Trevor Larnach roping a double off of Brewers lefty Jared Koenig and scoring off a clean single from Brooks Lee, making the score 4-2.
Facing Nick Mears and his 0.42 WHIP in the eighth, Clemens began the frame with a sharp double down the right field line. Lewis then launched again, but this time to a deeper part of the park and Jackson Chourio pulled the ball back from being a sure home run, an amazing catch that saved the tying run. After Harrison Bader popped out, Carson McCusker made his debut, hitting for DaShawn Keirsey Jr, He would tap out to the pitcher to end the threat.
Old friend Trevor Megill closed the door in the ninth for his sixth save.
Trends:
Bader doesn't look comfortable as he tries to play through a groin injury, and isn't playing center field as a result. Seems like an IL stint might be better, as Bader has gone 0-8 the past two days.
Cole Sands looks to have righted the ship, pitching two scoreless innings that were fairly uneventful.
Lewis made two great fielding plays, and if not for Chourio's incredible catch, would have two home runs. He may be, as they say, back.
Clemens keeps contributing with his near-home run and clutch leadoff double against Mears in the eighth. Willi who?
Jorge Alcala struggled again, walking the leadoff hitter in the eighth, throwing a wild pitch to advance the runner, and then allowing a deep sacrifice fly to score a key insurance run.
What’s Next: Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.72 ERA) faces Logan Allen (2-2, 3.70 ERA) as the Twins try to begin a new streak against the devil-magic wielding Guardians at Target Field. Ober's strikeouts have been down, and the hard contact has been up as the righthander works through pitching with slightly diminished velocity. Allen was good in 2023, but pretty terrible last year and his 31/20 strikeout to walk ratio doesn't scream dominance. He is a lefty, though, so perhaps we see the first start of the year for McCusker.
Postgame Interviews:
Bullpen Usage Chart:
| WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | TOT | |
| Stewart | 29 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 61 |
| Varland | 24 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| Durán | 11 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
| Alcalá | 22 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 12 | 49 |
| Topa | 11 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 | 39 |
| Jax | 20 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Sands | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 21 | 40 |
| Funderburk | 17 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| Coulombe | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
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