Twins' string of 'magnificent' starts continues with Ryan

CHICAGO -- It's no secret what the Twins’ greatest strength has been through the first month of the 2023 season.

“As a group, I think [the rotation has] been excellent,” said manager Rocco Baldelli before Tuesday’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. “They've been magnificent, even. This [first] month has gone well for them.”

Indeed, Minnesota’s rotation -- which entered Tuesday’s series opener against the White Sox second in MLB in ERA -- has impressed, led by Sonny Gray’s dominant start to the season (0.77 ERA).

But along with Gray and Pablo López, Joe Ryan has been a steadying presence for Minnesota, and that continued Tuesday against Chicago in the series opener. The Twins' starter threw six shutout innings, allowing a lone base hit and issuing two walks while striking out seven.

What’s more, Ryan matched Michael Kopech nearly pitch for pitch as the White Sox starter carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

“Joe went out there and did his job well, and held them down pretty good,” Baldelli said.

The White Sox got just one runner into scoring position against Ryan, when Gavin Sheets singled in the second inning and Yasmani Grandal immediately followed with a walk. But Ryan came back and struck out Jake Burger on three pitches, getting him to swing through a split changeup diving out of the strike zone.

Ryan retired the next 11 batters he faced in order before Tim Anderson drew a one-out walk in the sixth inning. Ryan then induced an inning-ending double play against Andrew Benintendi, the final batter he faced.

Ryan threw 87 pitches, including 12 in that battle against Anderson in the sixth. His four-seam fastball velocity, which averaged 92.8 mph, had dipped to 89.8 mph by the end of the sixth.

“I think that 12-pitch at-bat didn't really help the case there,” said Ryan when asked if he lobbied to return to the mound in the seventh. “If that goes a little differently, like the first two, I think we're going out for another inning, which would have been nice. But the bullpen has been stellar, Jorge [López] has been great. It's a good call to go to him there.”

Baldelli said he wasn’t concerned about Ryan’s health in any way, but with how hard Ryan had to work in the sixth, Baldelli felt it was the right time to go to the bullpen. And with López -- who entered the day having allowed just one unearned run in 13 appearances -- waiting in the wings, it felt like a sound move.

“[Ryan] had an inning where he had to work a little bit,” Baldelli said. “He pitched great. His velo was definitely at a low point in that last inning, and I didn’t want to send him back out there if he wasn’t feeling strong. If he looked the same in the last inning as he did in the first inning, he would have gone back out, likely, and gotten another inning or at least started another inning. I decided we were just going to go to the 'pen at that point, and I felt good about that.”

The White Sox took the lead in the seventh via an Eloy Jiménez two-run homer off López, and a Nick Gordon solo home run in the eighth helped push the game into extras. An Andrew Benintendi walk-off single sent the White Sox home winners.

Tuesday marked the first start this season during which Ryan did not record a victory, but it was a continuation of a strong first month. It also marked Ryan's sixth start of at least six innings in as many tries. He’s thrown five quality starts and has allowed one or fewer runs in four of those.

“He’s been on point every time he’s taken the ball,” Baldelli said. “There’s nothing more a starting pitcher can do than what Joe [has]. … He’s been great. He threw the ball today -- basically, all of his outings have looked exactly like this. He’s been just rock solid.”

“Just trying to go out there and fill up the zone and get outs,” Ryan said. “We've got a really good defense. ... That's the biggest thing. We have a really good defense, and knowing that, it allows me to just attack the zone a lot more. [Christian] Vázquez was great behind the dish setup-wise, and [with] some stuff we were working on. It's easy to throw him.”