Zebby Matthews strikes out seven in win Monday

Yikes. Two of the runs were unearned, but all of this was deserved. Matthews gave up nine hits and three walks, and while he did fan four hitters, he was in consistent trouble and obviously didn’t escape it very often. The right-hander’s ERA ballooned to 5.40 with this outing, and unfortunately, it’s a reminder that the talented 26-year-old still has some work to do before he can be counted on as a consistent fantasy option. He’s set to face the A’s next weekend with a chance to rebound.

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.

Matthews was on roll early in this game. His slider had plenty of bite, he was missing bats, and he got through the first three innings without a blemish. Then, things unraveled in the following two frames with the low point being a balk that forced home a run. Still, he settled down just enough to get through the sixth inning despite walking a batter and giving up two singles, bailed out by a double play and heads up play by Kody Clemens to tag Wade Meckler trying to take an uncovered second base. Regardless, Matthews closed out an uneven first half with a 4.57 ERA, 54 strikeouts, and 18 walks across 67 innings.

Matthews was lifted during a rocky fifth inning where he allowed a two-run homer to Max Schuemann before issuing back-to-back walks with two outs in the frame. He was charged with four runs over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five and also issued four walks. The 26-year-old is questionable heading into his next start against the Angels on Friday. There should be some clarity on his status at some point later this weekend.

Matthews gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five. He fell to 3-5 with the loss. Matthews has completed at least six innings and allowed two runs or less in three of his last four starts. He has a 4.56 ERA. Matthews is lined up to face the Rockies at home this weekend.

Matthews had a 10-0 lead through 3 1/2 innings, and he managed to keep this one uninteresting despite giving up eight hits and nine hard-hit balls. It’s his fifth quality start in seven tries since getting the call last month. Unfortunately, he was lit up for seven runs in both of his other outings, leaving him with a 4.78 ERA. He’s not a great option in shallow leagues at this point, but those hunting wins could try him in his two home starts next week. The first will come against the Dodgers, but at least it’ll be Eric Lauer opposing him, and he’ll get the Rockies in his second start.

The Twins didn’t really need to send him back out there after he allowed three runs in the fourth, but he absorbed some more punishment to save the bullpen. Matthews’ velocity was down a tick or two across the board, and it showed mostly in his fastball as batters missed just 1-of-15 swings against it. He allowed 10 hard-hit balls. Matthews is a fringe streamer in his next start against the Rangers in a good pitcher’s park, but it’s really only that context that keeps us interested.

Matthews gave up two runs to the Royals in the first inning on a walk and two doubles. He then settled in nicely, going six more scoreless innings. He scattered two more hits and three more walks, striking out two. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 4.15 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 26/8 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings into a start against the Tigers in Detroit on Wednesday.

The young right-hander struck out seven and walked two, raising his ERA from 2.37 to 4.63 on the year. Matthews had pitched well across three starts in his return to the big leagues, continuing to throw strikes and not allowing many free passes. Home runs have been an issue, and he allowed two more on Sunday to Ryan O’Hearn and Nick Gonzales. Matthews had been throwing his curve more than last year, and he’s an important pitcher to track for any adjustments. He next lines up for a home start against the Royals.

He struck out six and walked one. All three runs came on homers from Munetaka Murakami and Drew Romo in the first two innings. Very encouraging was that Matthews averaged 96.2 mph with his fastball today. He was at 94.8 mph in his season debut 11 days ago, but he boosted that to 95.8 mph last time out and got it even higher today. If he stays in this territory, he should offer some mixed league value, though he’ll contribute more in WHIP and in strikeouts than in ERA. He’ll next face the Pirates on Saturday.