“If he can hit Whit, he’s a good player. You can see that there. He was fast, too. His timing is very fast. That’s very good for him, so hitters don’t get his timing. I liked it a lot,” said Vazquez, who hit a no-hitter in the fourth inning.
The Twins gave Matthews a three-run lead in the first inning, giving him more freedom to continue the offense. He surrendered a solo home run to MJ Melendez in the second, then struck out 11 of his next 13 batters. He went through a stretch where he struck out four of five batters.
“I got hit in the teeth pretty hard, and then I recovered and got through the next two innings,” Matthews said. “That wasn’t a wake-up call for me — not that I needed one — but it was a clear sign that I was going to be back here.”
Matthews earned his first major league win after completing five innings and 77 pitches, allowing Messi to hit a double in the fifth. Manager Rocco Baldelli noted that it was the first time he had played with four days between starts this year.
“What we’re seeing now is a good symbol of the organization we want to be,” Baldelli said. “We need to develop young players, not just starting pitchers, but young players at a high rate.”
Lugo entered the game with the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors (2.72), but allowed nine hits and eight runs (seven earned) in four innings. It was his shortest start of the season.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
