The right-hander surrendered eight hits and five earned runs, handing Minnesota a 5-2 loss against the San Francisco Giants on Monday night.
Zebby Matthews took the mound during the Minnesota Twins' Monday matchup against the San Francisco Giants hoping to build on a solid start versus the New York Yankees last Wednesday.
However, that didn't end up being the case when the 26-year-old right-hander coughed up eight hits and five earned runs despite striking out nine batters through five innings pitched as Minnesota fell 5-2 to open the series at Oracle Park.
Manager Derek Shelton emphasized that the team is aware of Matthews' recent struggles on the road, but remains unsure of the culprit behind them.
"We've talked about it before," Shelton said in a postgame press conference. "I mean, it's something we're looking into. We're looking into the routine of how he goes about it. I wish I had a better answer for it, but I just don't."
The Giants attacked Matthews early in the first inning as Brett Harris singled in Drew Gilbert and Bo Davidson. Meanwhile, Gilbert extended the lead during the second with another RBI single that scored Osleivis Basabe and Christian Koss.
Brooks Lee answered back in the fourth with a solo homer to right-center field, but San Francisco countered in the fifth when Gilbert crushed a one-run blast of his own.
Rookie Emmanuel Rodríguez would bring the Twins within three during the eighth with another solo homer, but it wasn't enough as reliever Trent Harris held on to earn his second save of the season.
With the loss, Matthews has now gone 9-11 overall while compiling a 4.90 ERA and 1.26 WHIP this season.
Besides Monday, he struggled in the Twins' road matchups against the division rival Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox earlier this month and was also charged with the loss in both outings.
Oddly enough, Matthews saw better results against Chicago on Aug. 30 when he gave up a single earned run and fanned five batters through an impressive 8.1 innings of action back at Target Field.
Moreover, he would be credited with a win over the powerhouse Atlanta Braves 12 days prior when he only yielded one run and a single walk.
With the Twins now eliminated from playoff contention following a White Sox victory on Sunday, Matthews should have a final get-right opportunity this weekend when Minnesota concludes their season against the Texas Rangers.
In the meantime, the Twins will turn their attention to evening the series with a win over San Francisco tonight with Taj Bradley getting the ball this time around.
