Joe Ryan blanks Rangers for five innings in win

Yikes. Ryan followed up his stinker against the Guardians last week with another tough start after being pushed back with arm fatigue. This one wasn’t as bad as that eight run, six homer implosion, but still poor against a lackluster Royals lineup that was missing Bobby Witt Jr. They scored in each of the third, fourth, and fifth innings and made plenty of hard contact on the way. In all, Ryan allowed 11 hard-hit balls and this rough patch is the last thing the Twins need as they try to fight for a Wild Card spot. His velocity was in line with his season averages though, so hopefully this is not a health issue. He’ll look to right the ship in a rematch against these same Royals next time out that will begin a two-start week where Ryan will also face the Brewers.

Minnesota manager Derek Shelton told reporters the expectation is that Ryan will pitch at some point against the Royals next week. The 30-year-old’s name is going to come up a ton in trade rumors over the next couple weeks leading into the trade deadline. Clearly, the Twins aren’t going to take any chances if he’s not feeling right from a physical standpoint. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern since the club hasn’t placed him on the injured list. There should be some much-needed additional clarity concerning Ryan’s next start at some point next week, but fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate a lengthy absence.

He gets an extra day of rest after allowing six home runs to the Guardians in his last start. Twins beat writer Aaron Gleeman believes Connor Prielipp could draw the start on Saturday, assuming he’s activated off the injured list.

The six homers tied the major league record, with Ryan joining 11 other unfortunate pitchers. The last to give up that many were Miles Mikolas last season, Matt Swarmer in 2022 and Michael Blazek in 2017. Ryan’s stuff seemed fine, but everything the Guardians hit traveled a long way. Of the six homers, only four were barrels, and two would have stayed in play in over half of MLB’s ballparks. Ryan, who had allowed 10 homers in 110 1/3 innings coming in, saw his ERA rise from 2.85 to 3.38. He’ll face the A’s at home this weekend.

He’ll be followed by Taj Bradley on Saturday afternoon and Zebby Matthews on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field. The expectation is that Joe Ryan would then start on Monday against the Guardians in Cleveland. Ober is coming off of a decent first half where he registered a 4.40 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a 51/19 K/BB ratio over 71 2/3 innings in his first 13 starts.

Ryan left with a one-run lead, which was blown in the seventh by Tommy Nance in his Twins debut. So, he finishes the first half 6-5 with a 2.85 ERA. Ryan has produced 11 quality starts, which doesn’t count a couple of outings in which he pitched five-plus scoreless innings.

Ryan held the Astros scoreless through three innings before Houston tagged him for six runs in the fourth, including a grand slam by Yordan Alvarez. Ryan would finish the fourth inning and not return for the fifth, ending his day at 91 pitches with five strikeouts. He’s now allowed ten runs over his last two starts and will look to bounce back when he takes a 3.61 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 113/22 K/BB ratio across 97 1/3 innings into a start against the Guardians in Minnesota next Tuesday.

One bad inning sunk Ryan here. The Dodgers scored three runs in the third on four hits, one walk, and a sacrifice fly. It took Ryan 27 pitches to get through that frame and just 71 in total for his other five innings. His fastball was excellent up in the zone and it forced 11 of his 17 total whiffs in what was an admirable start against this strong lineup. Overall, he has a 3.18 ERA, 108 strikeouts, and 19 walks over 93 1/3 innings as one of the most effective starters in the league. He’s scheduled to face the Astros in Houston next time out.

It sounds like Ryan is feeling well enough to take the ball against Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday at Target Field after being scratched from Tuesday’s start due to illness. The 30-year-old’s return will push Connor Prielipp back to Friday’s series opener against the Rockies. There could be some changes depending on whether Tuesday night’s contest is played with showers in the forecast.

There’s zero indication that Ryan has been traded despite speculation running rampant on social media. The 30-year-old will get a reprieve from facing a loaded Los Angeles lineup and should be ready to take the ball again in a couple days once he’s feeling better. It’ll be intriguing rookie southpaw Kendry Rojas taking the ball against the Dodgers in his place.