First Pitch (CT): 12:40 PM
TV: Twins.TV
Radio: TIBN/830 WCCO/102.9 The Wolf /Audacy App
Know Yo’ Foe: Fish on First
The Twins go for the series victory and first series win vs an NL team in 2026. Zebby Matthews was recalled today to make the start, his first of the season, while the Twins’ lineup will see lefty Braxton Garrett, also making his first start of the year.
After losing the battle for the final rotation spot to Mick Abel, Zebby has been passed over several times as injuries have come up,
with the Twins opting for the likes of Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas, and Zebby’s AAA numbers make that decision obvious. In 34.1 innings, Matthews has a 4.72 ERA/6.09 FIP/4.28 xFIP while striking out just 21.9% of batters and walking a career high 7.4% of them. His diminished velocity from Spring Training hasn’t really improved and, more importantly, his breaking pitches aren’t really breaking. He’s been better over his past three starts in St. Paul, but this many walks for a player who relies on pinpoint accuracy is concerning. We’ll see if he can turn things around today!
Roster notes:
- RP Travis Adams was optioned to make room for Zebulon
- Struggling Matt Wallner finally got demoted in favor of utility man Ryan Kreidler. Kreidler is likely a placeholder until one of Alan Roden, Emmanuel Rodriguez, or Walker Jenkins is healthy, but it’s a disappointing run for a player the Twins were hopeful could be part of their next core. With so many top prospects on the brink of debuting, there’s a chance we may not see the Forest Lake native with the Big League squad again.
- In the meantime, Austin Martin will get a chance to play every day and see if his hot start is sustainable. Martin has established himself as a key role player, but he’ll get a few weeks to see if he can be more than that.
- Byron Buxton is getting a rare day off. He’s been either their best or second-best player this season (I see you Ryan Jeffers) but even superheroes need breaks occasionally. The Twins don’t have an off day for another week so this seemed like a good time get him off his feet after a monster Wednesday performance.
