Joe Ryan did not have his best start by any means on Monday against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif., surrendering four earned runs on six hits, one a three-run homer off the bat of Lawrence Butler, and three walks while striking out four. However, Ryan escaped a bases-loaded jam to end the fifth inning and help propel Minnesota to a 10-4 win over the Athletics.
One inning perfectly summed up the Twins' Joe Ryan Experience vs. A's
With the Twins leading 6-4 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ryan allowed a single to Brent Rooker, hit Tyler Soderstrom with a pitch and walked Shea Langeliers, loading the bases with no outs. The Athletics failed to capitalize on their run-scoring opportunity, as CJ Alexander and Luis Urias popped out to shortstop Carlos Correa for outs one and two before Drew Avans grounded out to end the inning and Ryan’s outing.
Ryan holds a 2.91 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 12 walks allowed in 68 innings this season. He mainly utilizes his below-average speed 4-seam fastball, which gives opponents trouble with its movement and accounts for 56% of his total pitch usage.
With an xERA of 3.31 (70th percentile) and xBA of .208 (87th percentile), Ryan’s excellent results are a result of his 28.4% strikeout rate (82nd percentile) and 4.5% walk rate (93rd percentile). However, he can get into trouble when he starts to allow a large amount of contact. He has a barrel % of 13.5 (6th percentile), an average exit velocity of 90.3 mph (32nd percentile) and a hard-hit % of 40.9 (50th percentile). Ryan’s four strikeouts on Monday tied his lowest of the season, and his three walks were the most free passes he allowed all year. Still, Ryan came out with a win and managed to help his team win despite his struggles.
Twins set to play Game 2 against Athletics
Game 2 of the four-game series between the Twins and Athletics is scheduled to start at 9:05 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, Calif. Right-handed pitcher Pablo López is slated to make the start for the Twins, and the Athletics have yet to announce their starting pitcher.