Joe Ryan's strong start goes to waste as Twins lose to Reds, 2-1

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Apr 17, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — Joe Ryan gave up three hits and zero walks across six innings on Friday, another quality start from the ace of the Twins' starting rotation, and it will only be remembered as a loss.

Ryan surrendered a two-run double to Eugenio Suárez in the fourth inning, five pitches after an error in the infield, and the Twins failed to create much offense against Reds left-hander and Minnesota native Brandon Williamson in a 2-1 loss at Target Field.

Playing in front of an announced crowd of 31,220 — the Twins offered complimentary tickets to fans who attended the home opener — the Twins lost consecutive games since dropping back-to-back games to the Tampa Bay Rays on April 4-5. Those two games were also the last time the Twins scored fewer than three runs in a game.

Williamson, who was born in Fairmont and played at Martin West County High School in Sherburn, gave up one run across 5 1/3 innings in his first career start against the Twins. Williamson pitched only 30 innings in 2024 because of multiple injuries, and he missed the entire 2025 season recovering from elbow surgery.

The Twins left the bases loaded in the third inning. After Williamson hit Matt Wallner with a pitch, Byron Buxton lined a two-out single and Austin Martin drew an eight-pitch walk. Luke Keaschall, who has one hit in six career at-bats with the bases loaded, struck out on a called third strike in a seven-pitch at-bat.

Keaschall challenged the call, but the automated balls and strikes replay showed Williamson’s 89-mph cutter clipped the bottom inside corner of the strike zone.

The Twins were granted a mulligan in the fifth inning when Williamson walked the first three batters. Martin lined a fastball into right field for a sacrifice fly, a sliding catch from Reds right fielder Will Benson in the gap, that scored Brooks Lee.

But the rally fizzled when Keaschall — this time batting with runners on the corners — grounded into an inning-ending double play on a first-pitch change-up. After the Twins loaded the bases with no outs, prompting a reliever to warm up in the bullpen, Williamson needed only two more pitches to escape the inning with a lead.

Williamson hopped off the mound and pumped his fist as he jogged back into the dugout.

Exiting after giving up a one-out single in the sixth inning, the 28-year-old Williamson received a standing ovation from fans sitting behind the third-base dugout, a contingent of family, friends from his hometown and Reds fans. He surrendered three hits and four walks while striking out two.

Keaschall, again, batted with two runners on base and two outs in the seventh inning. He bounced a first-pitch slider from Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft into the ground, and Suárez, the third baseman, made a sliding stop-and-throw to end the inning.

Ryan retired 10 of his first 11 batters before giving up two runs (one earned) during the fourth inning. Elly De La Cruz roped a one-out double to the right field wall. Sal Stewart, the next batter, reached on an error when Twins first baseman Josh Bell failed to scoop a low throw from third baseman Ryan Kreidler.

Gifted an extra out and an extra baserunner, Suárez poked a sweeper off the outside corner into the left-center gap for a two-run double.

After Suárez’s hit, Ryan didn’t allow any of his final eight batters to reach base, striking out half of them. Ryan finished with six strikeouts.

Twins relievers Justin Topa, Kody Funderburk and Cole Sands combined to pitch three scoreless innings, yielding one hit and one walk, but the Twins stranded a runner at second base in the eighth inning and former Twins reliever Emilio Pagán earned his sixth save of the season with a clean ninth inning.