Joe Ryan struggled against the Guardians on Monday.
The Minnesota Twins have one of the best pitchers in MLB in Joe Ryan. He earned the second All-Star selection of his career this year. Ryan entered the ball game on Monday with a 2.85 ERA. One would have imagined he would have had a big start against one of the worst offenses in the sport, but that was not the case during the Twins' contest against the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
Ryan surrendered eight runs across four innings while giving up a career-high six home runs. It was one of the worst starts of his big league career, and his worst start of the season. Ryan's previous career-high for most earned runs allowed this season was five. He had not allowed more than four earned runs in a game since early April.
The Guardians featured one of the worst offenses in the game. They are near the bottom of the league in categories such as runs scored, batting average and OPS. While the Guardians are in second place in the American League Central standings behind the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland's pitching has led the way.
Yet, on Monday, the Guards' lineup looked like one of the best offenses in baseball. Rhys Hoskins and Petey Halpin both connected for two home runs in the contest.
Anything can happen in any given baseball game. Some days, the best teams in baseball struggle. Other times, the worst teams have huge performances. On Monday, one of the worst offenses in the sport gave an All-Star pitcher no shortage of trouble.
Will Joe Ryan Bounce Back Soon?
Ryan is still a star pitcher. He is more than capable of getting back on track sooner rather than later. He had not pitched in a while given the All-Star break (he did pitch one inning during the All-Star game), so perhaps his schedule not being normal played a role in his underperformance.
Either way, the Twins are obviously hopeful that Ryan will get back on track in his next outing. Given Ryan's track record, he will likely figure things out and get back on track soon.
Minnesota entered the ball game in third place in the American League Central standings. The Twins are four games behind the White Sox for first place in the division.
For now, the ball club is focused on trying to come back in Monday's game as they trail the Guardians at the moment.
