The right-hander has allowed seven runs in two of his last three starts.
The final line attached to Minnesota Twins' starter Zebby Matthews' afternoon wasn't pretty. Seven runs allowed on nine hits and three home runs, and an 11-0 Twins loss that capped another difficult series for Minnesota. But Twins manager Derek Shelton wouldn't be one to bring down the right-hander.
"I actually think he pitched better than the line," Shelton said postgame.
That probably sounds strange after a box score like the one Matthews produced Thursday at Comerica Park. But Shelton's explanation offered a glimpse into how the Twins viewed the outing.
Spencer Torkelson turned one into a two-run homer in the fourth. Gleyber Torres connected for another in the fifth. Colt Keith followed with a two-run shot an inning later. Suddenly a competitive game had become a lopsided one.
Shelton pointed specifically to a hanging breaking ball, a misplaced changeup and a 3-0 pitch that wound up leaving the yard. The mistakes were real, and so was the lineup waiting to punish them.
For much of the spring, Detroit spent time trying to survive injuries. That version of the Tigers looked very different from the group Minnesota saw this week.
Torres is back. Kerry Carpenter is back. Keith appears to be finding his rhythm again. And at the top of the order, Kevin McGonigle continued making an impression.
"The lineup they thought they were going to have early in the year is now back," said Shelton postgame. "It's definitely lengthened back out."
McGonigle opened the game with a double off the wall and later scored the first run. Keith collected three hits and finally connected for his first home run of the season. Torres reached base three times and homered. Detroit finished with six extra-base hits and never allowed Minnesota much room to breathe.
The Twins never found an answer for Keider Montero either.
Minnesota put traffic on the bases at times and worked deep counts throughout the afternoon, but the big inning never materialized. Montero carried a shutout into the seventh, and the Twins' best scoring opportunity disappeared when they left runners stranded in the seventh inning.
"It wasn't for lack of approach," Shelton said postgame. "We did a good job of running the pitch count up. We just couldn't string anything together."
The result leaves Minnesota at 31-39 and with losses in four of its last five series. It also leaves Matthews in a familiar spot.
The right-hander has now allowed seven runs twice in his last six starts. In the other four outings, he allowed three runs or fewer.
That inconsistency remains part of the conversation surrounding his long-term role. On Thursday, though, Shelton's focus seemed less concerned with Matthews' future and more appreciative of the challenge he faced. A few mistakes against a healthy Detroit lineup were enough to turn an otherwise manageable afternoon into one that looked much worse on paper than the Twins believed it actually was.
