Zebby

Matthews

Given the injury to Pablo Lopez, Matthews seemed like a lock to open the season in the starting rotation, but he didn’t have a great spring, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on 12 hits in 11 innings while striking out nine and walking four. The strikeout upside he showed in the minors has not really carried over to his 117 career MLB innings, so he will head back to Triple-A to try and work on his pitch sequencing or shapes in the hopes of unlocking that next level of production. This move likely means that Mick Abel has won a spot in the Twins’ starting rotation.

Matthews’ velocity declined last time out in a rough start against the Braves and was down a little further today; his fastball was off by 1.5 mph from last year and his slider was down by 2.5 mph. It still might be a temporary dip, but between that and the possibility that he opens up in Triple-A, there’s no recommending him in mixed leagues right now.

After three straight scoreless starts to begin the spring, Abel gave up a two-run homer to the second batter he faced today. He was fine after that, though his 19% CSW wasn’t very good. He’s likely currently ahead of Zebby Matthews in line for the fifth spot in Minnesota’s rotation, especially if the Twins are focusing on ERA. Matthews’ is 10.50 ERA right now, even though his FIP is 2.96.

That hurts. All of the runs scored in the first. Matthews retired two of the first three batters in the inning, but he was pulled after allowing four singles and two walks and all three inherited runners scored after he left. Matthews did well after that, retiring nine of 11 batters from the second through the fourth. He gave up just three hard-hit balls in the contest. Matthews’ velocity today was down about one mph from his previous official spring start, so he might be in something of a dead-arm phase. He’s in quite a fight for a rotation spot now that Mick Abel is off to such a strong start. The Twins could keep both, but that would mean sending Taj Bradley to the pen or the minors.

Abel has allowed five hits, walked none and struck out 13 in 10 innings to date. If he keeps this up, it’s going to be tough to deny him a spot in Minnesota’s rotation. That might be bad news for Zebby Matthews, even though Matthews, who allowed one run over four innings in an unofficial game against Puerto Rico earlier this week, has outperformed both Taj Bradley and Simeon Woods Richardson this spring.

Matthews allowed three hits, walked one and struck out three. Mick Abel’s strong start has added a little more pressure for Matthews as he attempts to secure a rotation spot, but there might be room for both if Taj Bradley proves ineffective. Matthews feels like the Twins’ No. 2 starter for fantasy purposes, though he might not fare as well in ERA as he does in WHIP and strikeouts.

Matthews was at 50 pitches after two innings today, so it was surprising that he was brought back out for a third in his spring debut. As it turned out, he struck out Marcell Ozuna on six pitches and then exited the game. With Pablo López out, Matthews looks like a good bet to become the Twins’ fourth or fifth starter, and he could be strong enough in terms of WHIP and strikeouts to help in fantasy leagues.

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.