MINNEAPOLIS -- A week after the shortest non-injury-affected start of his career, Joe Ryan acknowledged that he still wasn’t functioning at peak efficiency.
Ryan, who was clearly hampered by illness seven days earlier against the Royals, pitched four effective but inefficient innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out four, as the Twins fell to the Diamondbacks, 5-2, at Target Field on Saturday.
The loss officially eliminated Minnesota from postseason contention at 65-83.
Ryan said he felt closer to himself than he did in his previous start, when a flu-like illness clearly compromised him. And early in the outing, his stuff looked sharp. But a 31-pitch second inning took a great deal out of him, and by the end of the fourth, his velocity began to dip.
The right-hander, who now stands just three outs from a new career-high in innings, made the most of what he had. But he just didn’t have as much as he usually does.
“I think it was just taxing,” Ryan said. “Not having like a normal couple weeks there, going through antibiotics and stuff. I just felt pretty stiff and dehydrated. Just trying to find some stuff and figure it out. Trying to make pitches the best I can, but I think it’s just frustrating knowing when you’re on you’re probably going to get a better result there. But he put a good swing on it.”
Ryan had not allowed a run through three innings, but permitted a leadoff double to Adrian Del Castillo and, two batters later, a homer to Alek Thomas. He induced two grounders to end the inning, but manager Rocco Baldelli decided that 93 pitches in four innings was plenty.
“Later on in the outing, his stuff kind of fell a little bit, which I think everybody saw,” Baldelli said. “He threw a lot of pitches in four innings and he wasn’t going to pitch anymore at that point. It was, in my opinion, a fairly easy call to get him out of the game and get the bullpen in the game. At least for the first three innings, his stuff looked very much like Joe normal and came out of his hand good.”
Laweryson deals in debut
Six years after he was drafted out of the University of Maine, Cody Laweryson’s big league dreams came true.
Laweryson, 27, was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday when Justin Topa went on the injured list, and made his debut a day later in a game that was very much in doubt.
With the Twins trailing, 2-0, Laweryson permitted a leadoff single to the first batter he faced, Geraldo Perdomo. Then, he allowed nothing else, inducing a double play from Ketel Marte and finishing with two shutout innings, two strikeouts, a single and no walks.
“It was a pretty crazy moment,” the right-hander said. “I’m still trying to soak everything in that happened tonight. I tried not to make the moment bigger than it was. Obviously, it was something I was dreaming of my entire life. To be able to go out there and throw two clean innings was just a blessing.”
Jeffers progressing
Catcher Ryan Jeffers remains on the seven-day concussion injured list, but Baldelli said Saturday that Jeffers is progressing. The veteran is eligible to come off the IL whenever he is cleared medically, but there is no indication that is imminent.
“I don’t have an update, like a true medical update,” Baldelli said, “but I think he’s doing better. He’s doing more and he’s doing better.”