Joe

Ryan

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.

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.