It was hard for Twins fans to find any good news Tuesday night after the Minnesota Twins lost another game to the Kansas City Royals, this time 2-1. Their record now stands at 3-8. To make matters worse, starter Pablo López left his start early in the bottom of the fifth with a hamstring injury.
Fortunately, there was some good news back home in Minnesota. Infielder Brooks Lee joined the St. Paul Saints for a rehab assignment, went 1-for-3 at the plate, and played seven innings at second base.
The Twins shut Lee down in spring training shortly after scratching him from the lineup on March 20 due to back inflammation, but this time around, it was nowhere near as bad as a year ago, when he also suffered from a herniated disc.
“I felt really good, actually,” Lee said postgame on Tuesday. “I talked to my dad, stuck with the plan for today, and it worked out for me. But I was just happy to be out on the field, it’s a completely different game being in Minnesota, and I’m just happy to be here.”
Lee started his rehab assignment in Fort Myers on Sunday, going 0-for-3 with a couple of strikeouts playing at shortstop. Lee frequently talks to his dad, Larry, before every game to create a plan of how he can improve upon his last performance. Even in rehab games, Lee can’t shake his competitive nature and wants to do everything he can to show himself and the Twins organization he’s ready to go.
“Obviously, it’s one game, but I take it seriously,” said Lee. “One of the things he thought of was to tip your back knee in more when you load. That will help you load in the ground and then go forward to having your knee pointed out, and then you’re loading, but you’re losing all of it, and it’s just an uphill battle with your swing.”
Lee noted that the inflammation was higher up on his back than it was from the herniated disc in his lower back a year ago. Since it was more of a muscle issue, it made his recovery process much easier.
“This was just pure muscle,” Lee said, “and once it calmed down, then I felt perfectly fine.”
He was healthy and passed Saints manager Toby Gardenhire’s eye test. Lee had a fine up-the-middle play to start the top of the fifth as Omaha Storm Chasers catcher and former Twins spring training invitee Brian O’Keefe ground out to him.
“He looks good, looks healthy,” said Gardenhire. “Had some good swings and played some good second base. I think tomorrow I’m going to run him out at third base, and then we’ll probably get him over to shortstop at some point later in the week, too.”
The Twins front office wants to keep Lee fresh at every infield position he can play. While his preference will always be to play at shortstop, it’s a skill he doesn’t want to put on the back burner.
“I bet you, moving forward, I’m going to be a guy that plays three positions, which I feel comfortable with,” he said. “So I think they just want to make it as game-like as possible. I love playing shortstop, and everybody knows that, but I want to play second and third as much as I can if I want to be an impact player.”
Zebby Matthews goes 5, but the Saints drop to 2-5 on the season
Zebby Matthews made his second start of the season on Tuesday night and went another five innings for the Saints. He tied a career-high strikeout total in a game in nine and was one out away from starting his season with 10 consecutive scoreless innings.
The streak ended unexpectedly when Saints right fielder Yunior Severino dropped a routine fly ball that turned into an RBI double for the Storm Chasers' shortstop Cam Devanney. Devaney would later come around to score an RBI single from center fielder John Rave in the next at-bat to make it a 2-0 game as Matthews' night ended.
Despite the end of his outing, Matthews still felt great with his stuff. His fastball velocity averaged 97.1 MPH and topped out at 98.8 MPH.
“The stuff was good,” said Matthews postgame. “I felt like the first inning I pulled some stuff glove-side but was able to make the adjustment and work through that, then settle in there. Got through pretty fine until I got the walk, I don’t want to walk, guys, but it’s going to happen, but overall, I felt good.”
Like their Major League counterparts, the Saints have had an inconsistent start to the season. Following their 11-0 Opening Day win, they’ve gone 1-5 and have been outscored by their opponents 22-10. Four of their games have already been rained out, keeping them from getting a consistent rhythm. But Matthews believes this homestand will finally get the team into a consistent pace for the season.
“I think ultimately, with the warmer weather, everyone is feeling more comfortable up there,” he said. “I know it can be difficult for some guys. Maybe they’re not used to playing in the cold weather, or whatever it may be. But I think warmer weather guys will feel more comfortable, and we just need to keep playing, and we have a really good ball club up here, and I’m excited for it.”
The Saints will send Andrew Morris to the mound for his second start on Wednesday against the Storm Chasers' Thomas Hatch. First pitch is at 6:37 p.m.
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