Zebby Matthews, taking new mindset to mound, leads Twins to road win over Astros

Zebby Matthews considers himself a perfectionist, but his biggest growth as a pitcher this season was learning he didn’t need to be perfect.

Matthews completed a strong month when he gave up one run over seven innings Monday, and he matched a season-high seven strikeouts during the Minnesota Twins’ 5-4 victory over the Houston Astros at Daikin Park.

Twins reliever Travis Adams allowed a two-run homer to Taylor Trammell with two outs in the ninth inning, and Cam Smith made it back-to-back homers on a two-strike slider from Yoendrys Gómez. The Twins, despite their bullpen issues, have won nine of their past 14 games.

Josh Bell, Victor Caratini and Royce Lewis homered for the Twins.

Matthews has allowed two-or-fewer runs in four of his five starts this month, which came at a critical time when the Twins dealt with injuries to Bailey Ober, Mick Abel and Kendry Rojas in their starting rotation.

“He’s giving himself more grace,” Twins pitching coach Pete Maki said. “He’s very hard on himself. He wants to be perfect and I see a little bit of acceptance. It’s not always going to be a complete-game shutout every time he pitches.”

Striving for perfection served Matthews well in the minor leagues. He had a stunning rise from high-Class A to the majors in 2024, a season he started with zero walks through his first six starts (141 batters).

Once Matthews, a 26-year-old right-hander, arrived in the majors, he struggled with consistency. He entered this season with a 5.92 ERA in 25 starts.

“Having that streak [with no walks], it was good because it got me here, but I also may have had a little too much confidence there for a little bit,” Matthews said. “It’s tough to say. I think everybody up here is always trying to find a way improve and take the next step. I think this is a big step for me.”

Matthews believes his self-talk on the mound contributed to some innings snowballing out of control in previous seasons.

“Honestly, it was to the point where I knew I couldn’t keep being so hard on myself,” he said. “It wasn’t sustainable. I could do it during the minors and get away with it up here some, but if I want to have a career up here, it’s trying to be better about it.

“It’s talking to Bailey and any veteran up here. It’s talking to them about their process, what they’re thinking on the mound, how they get ready for every start.”

Maki added: “That’s something everyone has to discover on their own. We’ve tried to help and maybe it’s worked, but you’ve got to come to that on your own.”

Matthews didn’t make the Twins rotation out of spring training, starting the season at Class AAA St. Paul.

Some of the benefits from pitching in the minors this year, he said, was he learned to pitch at a lower velocity — his fastball velocity is down about 1 mph from last year — and he had a day where he went through his entire routine with St. Paul coaches, trainers and strength staff to find areas to improve.

“Talking through my whole process throughout my week, how my routine looked, everything from before I stepped on the mound, what was I thinking,” Matthews said. “I thank all the staff and coaches down there. It was a big get together. They were a big help.”

Matthews quieted the Astros, yielding four hits and one walk while matching his longest start of the season. The Twins gave him a lead in the fourth inning with back-to-back homers from Royce Lewis and Victor Caratini against Astros starter Peter Lambert, both homers coming on two-out, two-strike pitches.

Smith rocketed a solo homer off Matthews in the fifth inning, but the Twins offense kept rolling. Brooks Lee opened the sixth inning with a hard-hit single that deflected off the glove of sliding first baseman Christian Walker. Two batters later, Texas native Josh Bell deposited a fastball into the right-field seats for a two-run homer.

Luke Keaschall drew a leadoff walk in the seventh, advanced to third on a single from Lee and scored on a groundout.

Banda lost to 15-day IL

Twins lefty reliever Anthony Banda was placed on the 15-day injured list Monday because of a left lat strain, and manager Derek Shelton told reporters in Houston that Banda will be out for months.

It’s an immediate loss for the Twins bullpen, losing their top lefty in the bullpen, and he was a potential trade candidate for the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Cody Laweryson was recalled from Class AAA to fill Banda’s spot in the bullpen. Banda recorded the final two outs in the eighth inning during Sunday’s 3-2 win, then he called for a trainer and exited after throwing a 94-mph fastball in the ninth inning, a pitch that hit batter Braxton Fulford.

Banda has a 4.46 ERA in 39 appearances for the Twins, collecting two saves, but he’s rebounded after a sluggish start to the season. He owns a 2.28 ERA in his last 27 games with 21 strikeouts and 11 walks in 23 2/3 innings.

Buxton out

Byron Buxton, a finalist to be voted as a starter for next month’s All-Star Game, was out of Monday’s lineup after he experienced right hip discomfort. Buxton missed five games because of the same hip injury in May.

Buxton underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam, but Shelton told reporters in Houston that he thought he didn’t look right when he took swings Sunday.

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