Zebby Matthews’ 7 innings of control carry Twins to 9-6 win over Athletics

After recent bullpen turbulence, Minnesota turned to its starter for a cleaner path, then rode through a ninth-inning wobble from closer Yoendrys Gómez to finish with a 9-6 victory at Sutter Health Park.

By The Apex Times Newsroom2 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The Minnesota Twins found the right formula on Tuesday night at Sutter Health Park, beating the Oakland Athletics 9-6 behind Zebby Matthews’ dominant work on the mound. Matthews settled in early and delivered seven strong innings, a contrast to the relief bullpen’s recent struggles that had put extra strain on late innings.

The key storyline for Minnesota was the sequencing. With the game still in a manageable shape for the Twins, Matthews kept Oakland from turning early contact into damage, and he gave Minnesota a chance to build and hold enough margin to reach the back end of the contest with confidence. The run totals, combined with the starter’s length, created a cushion even as the Athletics remained capable of making it a late-game problem.

Minnesota’s late-inning portion did not go perfectly. Yoendrys Gómez, the Twins closer, entered the ninth inning and ran into a bump, and the Athletics used the opening to cut into the Twins’ lead. Even so, the deficit never flipped, and Minnesota stayed in command long enough to convert the win.

The result mattered for how Minnesota managed its pitching workload. MLB starters who can go deep do more than protect the bullpen on a single night, they stabilize how a staff approaches the next few games. The Twins’ emphasis on getting a reliable early-to-mid innings bridge from Matthews helped limit the bullpen’s exposure, even with the ninth inning not playing out cleanly.

For Oakland, the night underscored how quickly a game can change when a starter is working efficiently and the opponent is scoring enough to keep pressure on. The Athletics stayed in it, particularly when Minnesota reached the closer phase, but they were unable to erase the foundation Minnesota built through seven innings of pitching from Matthews.

As for the Twins, the night sets up an immediate area to watch: whether Gómez’s ninth-inning inning fits a brief blip or reflects a larger late-game trend. The team’s broader takeaway likely is that starter-driven quality can smooth out bullpen volatility, and Minnesota will want to see that approach carry into its next outing.

Next, the Twins will look to build on the stability Matthews provided, while the Athletics will focus on what they can do against starters once the game gets past the initial innings. If Minnesota continues to receive seven-plus innings of quality, it may reduce the margin for error required of its late relievers. If not, the ninth-inning turbulence becomes a bigger storyline than it was this time.

Why It Matters

Starter performance like Matthews’ can be the difference between a manageable late inning and repeated bullpen stress.
Even with a closer hiccup, the Twins still won, showing how much the pitching path matters in close games.
The result reinforces that Minnesota’s ability to get length can shape how it deploys relief arms over the next stretch.
For Oakland, the loss highlights the importance of sustaining offensive pressure before the ninth inning arrives.

Sources

Key Facts

Minnesota beat Oakland 9-6 at Sutter Health Park.
Zebby Matthews pitched seven strong innings for the Twins.
Yoendrys Gómez appeared in the ninth inning and Minnesota still held on for the win.
The game followed a period in which Minnesota’s bullpen had recently been under strain.
The decisive factor for the Twins was a dominant start that reduced bullpen leverage in the middle of the game.