Twins Takeaways: Minnesota’s Freefall Continues With Ugly Loss to Tigers

Zebby Matthews struggled, the offense managed just five hits and Minnesota fell to 13-22 since Aug. 1 with a 7-2 loss in Detroit.

Minnesota Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Minnesota Twins dropped the rubber game to the Detroit Tigers, 7-2, with their overall record falling to 69-77. It was a rough day for Zebby Matthews, the bullpen, and the offense. The Twins continue to spiral and watch their already slim postseason hopes fall.

Zebby Matthews' Outing

Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton and Twins pitcher Zebby Matthews. Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was an absolute stinker for Matthews, who did not make it out of the third inning. He walked four batters, tying a season high, which is not ideal because it meant his command was off. Across the outing, the staff was down, which could be due to fatigue or just a bad outing. Either way, today was a pivotal game for the Twins, and Matthews did not show up.

Zebby Matthews (MIN) walked four and allowed five earned runs over 2.1 innings against the Tigers pic.twitter.com/5oUM7RFi0B

— Pitcher List Stats (@PitcherListPLV) September 9, 2026

The location of Matthews' pitches was also off in the outing. This led to him being hit around the ballpark, issuing walks, and forcing the hand of Derek Shelton to remove him from the game in an attempt to keep the Twins in the ballgame.

Twins' Offense

Minnesota Twins designated hitter Josh Bell. Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Twins' offense struggled significantly in this game, managing only five hits as a team. They scored both of their runs on back-to-back solo home runs by Kody Clemens and Josh Bell in the fourth inning. After that, the Twins' offense fell silent for the remainder of the game.

The Twins' offense needs to be better than it is at the moment. They are not putting pressure on opposing pitchers and are frankly easy outs. It's been like this for some time now, and the August-September record reflects that.

Freefall

Minnesota Twins manager Derek Shelton. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Twins are in absolute freefall. For a team that bought significantly at the trade deadline, their 13-22 record since August 1st is stark. Per Andrew Gleeman, that is the worst mark in the American League. The Twins have not won a road series since the July 4 weekend against the Yankees.

It's concerning that the Twins could not perform to the level they should be at down the stretch. The goal is to play October baseball, and it's looking like, for the third straight season, they won't. They've had young players come up and perform, and it's still not enough. The overall underperformance needs to improve in the future.

What’s Next?

The Twins will have an off day on Thursday before facing the Guardians on Friday at Target Field. For the Twins, it will be RHP Taj Bradley getting the start. This season, Bradley is 11-6 with a 3.95 ERA. For the Guardians, it will be LHP Parker Messick, who is 11-9 with a 2.53 ERA. First pitch Friday will be at 8:10 P.M. CT on TwinsTV.