Braxton Garrett’s rocky return lasted only four outs as Minnesota’s explosive five-run second inning derailed Miami, while Zebby Matthews dominated in a masterful big-league debut at Target Field.
Braxton Garrett’s return to the Major Leagues didn’t go as planned.
Garrett gave up five runs on four hits and five walks while striking out three in 1.1 innings as the Miami Marlins fell to the Minnesota Twins 9-1 in Target Field on Thursday. Of the 53 pitches he threw, only 28 were for strikes.
“Just a tough outing,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said during his postgame press conference. “It's just one start, and we will regroup and turn the page and move forward.”
Garrett escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning by striking out Ryan Jeffers to end the threat, but Minnesota capitalized in the second after loading the bases again with one out.
A five-run rally in the second led to both Garrett’s and Miami’s downfall. Austin Martin opened the scoring with a two-run double into left-center field for a 2-0 lead. Josh Bell ripped a two-run double down the left-field line to extend the advantage to 4-0. Victor Caratini capped the inning after driving in a run on a groundout that pushed the lead to 5-0.
“He just wasn't filling up the strike zone. He just had to work really hard in his first couple innings, and I just didn't get a sense of him getting back to finding the zone,” McCullough said. “So, I just moved on.”
Minnesota added another run in the third inning against reliever Calvin Faucher when James Outman lined an RBI single to center field for a 6-0 lead.
The Marlins could not solve Minnesota right-hander Zebby Matthews, who was also making a 2026 big league debut after being called up from Triple-A St. Paul. Matthews was in control throughout his first outing, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. Matthews needed only 83 pitches, including 55 strikes, and never allowed more than one runner in scoring position against Miami’s lineup.
“He executed his plan throughout the day,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said during his postgame press conference. “Changeup was good, fastball location was good. Overall, really impressive outing by Zebby.”
The Marlins’ offense struggled to generate momentum all afternoon, finishing 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and leaving six runners on base. Miami managed only six hits overall and struck out seven times.
Otto Lopez provided the Marlins’ lone run in the eighth inning with an RBI single off left-hander Kody Funderburk that scored Xavier Edwards from second base. Lopez finished 2 for 4 and accounted for one-third of Miami’s hits. Edwards also collected two hits and scored the Marlins’ only run.
Minnesota answered immediately in the bottom half of the eighth inning against reliever John King. Outman delivered a two-run double into the gap in right-center field, and Martin followed with an RBI single to left that brought home Outman and extended the lead to 9-1.
Martin finished 2-for-4 with three RBI, a walk and a stolen base, while Outman also drove in three runs for Minnesota. Bell added two RBI and two walks as every Twins starter reached base at least once.
The Marlins dropped to 20-24 on the season, while the Twins improved to 20-24 and won for the fourth time in their last five games. The Marlins travel to St. Petersburg to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in rivalry weekend on Friday.
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