Joe Ryan done in by one bad inning vs. Dodgers

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.

Ragazzo adds sources told Athlon Sports that Minnesota’s new owner Tom Pohlad might want to head in the opposite direction by adding at the trade deadline, which is roughly six weeks away, to make a playoff push given the current state of the American League. It looks like the Twins could potentially be sellers at the deadline for the second consecutive season after putting together a fire sale for the ages last summer. It’ll likely come down to whether they inch closer to playoff contention over the next couple weeks.

Ryan allowed three hits, all of them singles, and finished with 13 whiffs and a 32 percent CSW. Since returning from his elbow scare on May 9, he’s 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA and a 59/8 K/BB in 48 2/3 innings over eight starts. He’ll look to keep it going in a home start against the Dodgers next week.

Ryan continues to display pinpoint command while keeping his team in position to win games. In a game that went back-and-forth all evening, Ryan held the Cardinals to just six hits on the night and exited the game with a 4-3 lead, but the Cardinals jumped all over the Twins bullpen after Ryan’s departure. He’ll look to pick up his fifth win of the season in his next start, which is scheduled for Thursday against the Rangers.

The first inning was eventful for Ryan. After the leadoff homer, Bobby Witt Jr. sent a shot to left-center that both Trevor Larnach and Ryan Kreidler tried to catch, leading to a collision. Fortunately, both were OK after being checked on and Kreidler actually held on to the ball. After that, things were pretty quiet. Ryan struck out five and allowed no additional extra-base hits. He remains 4-3 with a 3.07 ERA. He’ll next face the Tigers on Thursday, unless the Twins decide to add a fifth starter before then and push Ryan back to Friday against the Cardinals.

Despite having his best velocity of the year — he averaged 94.6 mph with his fastball — Ryan gave up homers to Miguel Vargas and Andrew Benintendi, plus another eight hard-hit balls. But he did miss some bats, too, generating 13 whiffs with a 33 percent CSW. He’s 4-3 with a 3.20 ERA, and he’ll get to face the Royals at home next time out.

Ryan gave up five hits, walked none and struck out nine. He’s had nine strikeouts in back-to-back starts. The only damage against Ryan came on a two-run home run by Munetaka Murakami in the eighth inning. Ryan has a 2.94 ERA. He’s lined up to face the Pirates on the road on Sunday.

Ryan got 19 whiffs and had a 38 percent CSW in his most dominant performance yet this season. Since providing everyone a big scare by leaving his May 3 start with an elbow issue, Ryan has had three straight outings in which he’s allowed exactly one run in six innings. He’s 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA and a 61/14 K/BB in 56 2/3 innings.

Ryan ran into trouble early in this one, allowing a leadoff double to Jackson Chourio on the first pitch of the game. Chourio would come around to score two batters later on an RBI single by William Contreras, but Ryan was able to limit further damage in the inning. It would be the only run Ryans would allow on the night, as he settled in to pitch five-straight scoreless frames while tying a season-high with seven strikeouts. Ryan has allowed two earned runs or fewer in his last four starts, but hasn’t won a game since April 11th. He’ll look to pick up his third win of the season in his next outing, which is scheduled for Wednesday against the Astros.