“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.
