Zebby

Matthews

Matthews racked up six strikeouts on the evening and didn’t walk a batter. The only blemish on his day came on a leadoff home run off the bat of Joc Pederson. After that, he was brilliant. The 25-year-old right-hander got 12 whiffs on 90 pitches on the night — eight of them on his slider — while registering a CSW of 27 percent. He finishes the season with a 5-6 record, 5.56 ERA, 1.49 WHIP and an 88/24 K/BB ratio over 79 1/3 innings in 16 starts with the Twins.

Matthews also issued two free passes on the night while striking out a pair. The Yankees got to him early and often in this one and didn’t let up, striking for two runs in the first, four runs in the second — including a two-run blast by Trent Grisham — and three more in the third. Matthews got nine swings and misses on 61 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 28 percent. He’ll bring an unappealing 5.97 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and an 82/24 K/BB ratio (72 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s showdown against the Rangers in Arlington.

Matthews had a rough opening frame, giving up three runs on three hits, a walk, and a double steal of home. He kept the Angels off the board for three innings before running into more trouble in the fifth. Two hits and a walk brought a run in and knocked Matthews from the game at 97 pitches with five strikeouts. One more inherited runner would come in to score. The 25-year-old right-hander ends the day with a 4.93 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and an 80/22 K/BB ratio across 69 1/3 innings. He’ll take on the Yankees in Minnesota next Tuesday.

This was a different version of Matthews than we’ve otherwise seen this season. It was the first time he’s mixed all six of his pitches at least 10% of the time. He found success through depth too, as five of them forced multiple swings-and-misses and opened up plenty more options for him against left-handed batters specifically. He tried all six out at least twice in two-strike counts against lefties and kept them guessing all night. It was a welcome adjustment after some struggles since returning from injury and one that hopefully brings more success to close out the season. He’s scheduled for a two-start week coming up against the Angels and Diamondbacks.

The 25-year-old right-hander struck out three batters on the evening and in true Zebby Matthews fashion he did not issue a base on balls. The Padres scratched out a run against him in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Luis Arraez and they tacked on an unearned run on an error by Matt Wallner in the fourth inning. Matthews then returned for the seventh where he allowed a leadoff single before turning the ball over to the bullpen — and that run ultimately scored as well. Matthews got seven whiffs on 96 pitches on the evening, posting a CSW of 24 percent. He’ll bring a 5.06 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and a 70/18 K/BB ratio (58 2/3 innings) into a strong matchup against the White Sox on Thursday.

Matthews gave up eight hits, walked three and struck out four. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 5.30 ERA in 11 starts this year after posting a 6.69 ERA in nine starts last year. Matthews is building a resume he wishes he didn’t have. While the 110 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings this year is a positive, he continues to give up nearly 2.00 home runs per nine innings in his MLB career. He’s lined up to face the Blue Jays on the road next week, which is a matchup fantasy managers will want to avoid.

Zebby Matthews is starting Friday’s series opener at Wrigley Field. Abel is coming off a dominant outing last Saturday at Triple-A St. Paul where he punched out 11 batters over six innings. The 23-year-old pitching prospect showed some potential earlier this season in a handful of starts with the Phillies before being included in last month’s Jhoan Duran blockbuster at the trade deadline. There’s some streaming appeal here for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues, even though it’s a tough matchup in a hitter-friendly environment.

Matthews was hurt by self-inflicted damage, as he issued four free passes while throwing just 51-of-92 pitches for strikes. This could have been much worse if not for four strikeouts and Matthews escaping a couple of jams. The 25-year-old will try and find the strike zone more consistently when he faces the White Sox on Friday.

Matthews isn’t Bailey Ober, but the two could have similar peaks as fantasy starters in posting fine WHIPs and strikeout rates while lagging behind in ERA because of the home run ball. Matthews has a 5.11 ERA right now, though his 57/11 K/BB in 44 innings is very impressive. He’ll face the Tigers at home this weekend.

The 25-year-old right-hander racked up six strikeouts on the evening while allowing just one base on balls. The only damage done against him came on an RBI double off the bat of Kerry Carpenter in the third inning. Matthews generated 12 swings and misses on 86 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 30 percent. He’ll look to replicate this fine performance as he carries a 5.17 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and a 48/10 K/BB ratio (38 1/3 innings) into a tough matchup against the Yankees in New York on Monday.