KANSAS CITY -- When the Twins needed it most, Joe Ryan delivered.
With his team mired in a three-game losing streak, rotation mate Pablo López headed for the 15-day injured list and Minnesota just generally in dire need of a pick-me-up, Ryan provided that and more.
The right-hander turned in the Twins＊ best start of the year at a key moment, pitching seven shutout innings as Minnesota beat the Royals, 4-0, on Wednesday night at Kauffman Stadium. Ryan did not walk a batter as he turned in his longest start since June 13, 2024.
In the intervening time, Ryan spent the last seven weeks of the 2024 season on the shelf due to a right shoulder injury. He got a slower start to Spring Training and fewer starts in camp than any of his rotation mates. He had yet to pitch more than five innings in his previous two starts.
But never mind any of that. On Wednesday, Ryan pitched a game that reminded the Twins of just how good he can be. He threw 85 pitches, 63 of them strikes, in a confident, commanding win.
※I felt really strong,§ he said. ※I didn＊t even think about anything. We worked on some stuff this week just mechanically and getting to my lower half again. That was a big cue last year. I locked that in more and I was able to just do some things a little bit longer and more consistent.§
It has been a rough go for Twins starters so far in 2025. L車pez had been pitching well, including on Tuesday night, before he was removed after 4 2/3 innings due to a strained right hamstring. He will now likely miss at least two starts.
And even with a healthy L車pez, in 11 previous games, Twins starters had recorded an out in the sixth inning only twice. For Ryan to deliver both innings and zeros was the best possible news.
※The kind of outing we really needed,§ said manager Rocco Baldelli, ※and we got two great starting pitching outings. Pablo got cut short yesterday, but the way those two guys have responded, coming back right now and giving us real chances to win, I mean, it's about as dominant as you can ask for from Joe Ryan tonight.§
Ryan＊s seven innings equaled the longest start by a Twins pitcher this year, and marked only the second time this year a Minnesota starter has completed six full. He allowed two hits and did not walk a batter, striking out four.
He got help from his offense and his defense, and Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran locked down the final two innings. And for the first time in a few days, it felt good in the Twins＊ clubhouse after a game.
※Unbelievable,§ said L車pez. ※He had [85] pitches in seven innings. As a starter I was like, 'Ride him. Keep him going.' It was fun to watch. He was challenging people. ＃ Everything he does well, he's just coming at people. You can see later on -- second, third time through the lineup -- that he's already flipping them the script a little bit, throwing them off the scent, starting soft and finishing with that fastball. It was fun to watch.§