The Minnesota Twins by no means fairly recovered from a poor begin to the season, however supervisor Rocco Baldelli continues to be paying shut consideration to how they end.
That begins with younger beginning pitchers akin to right-hander Zebby Matthews, whom Baldelli hopes will proceed making strides when he takes the mound in opposition to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif.
Matthews (4-4, 4.73 ERA) did not get a call his final outing for the Twins (64-80), however the 25-year-old nonetheless produced wonderful outcomes on Wednesday, limiting the Chicago White Sox to 1 run and three hits over six innings in Minnesota’s 4-3 loss.
He departed with a 3-1 lead, however the bullpen surrendered three runs within the ninth for a 4-3 loss.
“Ending a significant league season, which is an extended yr, on a robust, optimistic word, regularly taking the ball and exhibiting up and doing it, is an actual factor,” Baldelli mentioned. “You must conquer that ultimately. You have to come out and succeed in direction of the top of the yr.
“There is a bodily component to it, there is a psychological aspect of it. Earlier than you may know you are able to do it, you have to go on the market and do it. Zebby is doing that now.”
The one run Matthews yielded to the White Sox final week got here on a leadoff residence run by Edgar Quero within the second inning.
“I form of simply informed myself on the market, ‘As soon as we obtained two outs, simply end the inning. Hold attacking,'” Matthews mentioned. “A whole lot of occasions I believe, with two outs, you may form of get somewhat snug on the market. Attempt to simply hold attacking hitters, hold them on their toes as greatest as doable, and get the crew again within the dugout.”
Matthews began in opposition to the Angels final Sept. 11 and allowed two runs and 5 hits in 3 1/3 innings throughout a no-decision in Minneapolis.
The Angels have additionally seen their postseason hopes vanish within the second half of the season, they usually performed prefer it on Monday. They dedicated a season-high 4 errors and misplayed one other fly ball that led to a few runs within the 12-3 loss.
“You possibly can’t count on a pitcher to repeatedly overcome these errors,” Angels interim supervisor Ray Montgomery mentioned. “A few them right here and there, positive, however not when it turns into repetitive like that. That was one in all our worst video games, I assumed, defensively, all through the course of this season.”
The Angels (67-77) moved typical leadoff hitter Zach Neto to the No. 3 spot within the batting order for the primary time this season. He singled his first time up and stole second, however he was picked off first after getting hit by a pitch his second time up and went hitless in his final two at-bats.
He additionally dedicated one of many Angels’ errors.
Jo Adell, who had homered in 5 of his earlier seven video games for Los Angeles to provide him 35 on the season, was a late scratch on Monday due to vertigo. Matthew Lugo took his place in proper area and misplayed a excessive fly ball in proper within the ninth, permitting two runs to attain and organising one other.
The Angels will attempt to get again on monitor behind veteran right-hander Kyle Hendricks, who’s in search of his first win since July 27. He’s 0-2 with a 5.05 ERA in his previous seven outings.
Hendricks (6-9, 4.81 ERA) has made 5 begins in opposition to the Twins in his profession, going 1-4 with a 5.86 ERA. He yielded seven runs on three hits and 5 walks in a season-low three-plus innings on April 25 in Minneapolis.
–Discipline Degree Media
