Joe Ryan shakes off injury concerns, returns to mound in Twins win over Guardians

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Ryan showed no signs of rust over six strong innings, as well as improved velocity on all his pitches. “Joe was back to being Joe,” said center fielder Byron Buxton, who supported Ryan with the Twins’ only hits and RBIs, including a leadoff home run and a game-winning double in the 11th inning. Though he didn’t generate much swing-and-miss early, Ryan — who pitched six good innings at Progressive Field on Aug. 1 of last season after thinking he’d been traded to the Boston Red Sox at the deadline — was sharp from the outset. His four-seam fastball was lively, as were all of his offerings. The average velocity of all five of Ryan’s pitches saw an increase over his yearly marks. “That’s the Joe Ryan we saw earlier in the year,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “He was really good. The thing was the most impressive was the (velocity) maintained. It was 94-95 in the last inning, and he had to grind through some innings because the Guardians team is really good and they make you work.” Some of Ryan’s best — and most reassuring — moments occurred when Cleveland’s offense made him work harder. Despite a lot of contact early, Ryan breezed through the first three innings. He carried a no-hitter into the fourth, an effort that ended when José Ramírez singled to center on an 0-2 splitter below his knees. After the single, it looked as if Ryan would crumble. Ramírez stole second and scored on Kyle Manzardo’s tying single. Ryan then issued a walk and hit Travis Bazzana, loading the bases with one out. But he recovered and doused any potential concerns about his well-being. Though he fell behind Angel Martínez, Ryan fought back with a four-seamer still in the 94 mph range for a strikeout, then also struck out Austin Hedges, getting two swings-and-misses with his sweeper, to strand the bases loaded. After generating only two whiffs in his first 41 pitches, Ryan picked up eight over his final 66. His strong outing came after the team learned it would be without another starting pitcher when Taj Bradley went on the 15-day injured list with right pectoralis muscle inflammation. “I’m always confident in those situations,” Ryan said. “There’s almost a closer-like mentality that you step into in those close situations. You’re going to beat them in the zone and make them attack. It’s a tough situation for them, too.” Saturday’s outing was the latest positive sign in what looked like a difficult situation for the Twins, who initially were very concerned when Ryan walked off the mound at Target Field early in a Sunday morning start against the Toronto Blue Jays. Ha had started that outing with a quick strikeout but felt something was off. After a quick conversation with Shelton and head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta, Ryan headed for the clubhouse after only nine pitches, sending Twins Territory into a tailspin, especially when it was later revealed he was experiencing right elbow soreness. Less than three months after ace Pablo López exited a bullpen session early with an elbow injury that resulted in season-ending Tommy John surgery, it appeared as if Ryan could face the same fate. Suddenly, the front office’s risky offseason decision to not complete a teardown it began at the trade deadline last July looked questionable. Over the winter, many in baseball wondered why the Twins held on to López and Ryan and ran the risk of losing two pitchers to injury when they could easily trade for more prospects. With López already down, those questions surfaced again after Ryan’s exit. But everything began to change in the Twins’ favor Tuesday. The team didn’t announce it until then, but Ryan had an MRI on Sunday that showed no structural damage. After conferring with club medical officials, Ryan joined the Twins for their Monday flight to Washington, and he was cleared to play catch Tuesday with a bullpen scheduled for Wednesday if all went well. Ryan cleared both hurdles and was announced as Saturday’s starter. Though he had to wait out a 126-minute pregame rain delay, Ryan was ready. He threw four straight fastballs to Steven Kwan to start the game, all ranging from 93.1 mph to 94.2 mph. Ryan touched 95 mph in retiring Chase DeLauter and hit 95.3 mph as he struck out Manzardo to end the first inning. “I felt really good and normal,” Ryan said. “I’ve been feeling not myself all season in the physical sense. I just felt kind of out of body (Saturday), almost. Just flowing. It felt really good. I didn’t really exert at all on any pitch, which is something to take note of.” Ryan credited adjustments made with the training staff Friday for helping him to feel better. Before the game, Shelton said the Twins would keep a close eye on Ryan’s workload because of his early exit last time out. Sometime before first pitch, Buxton made sure to confer with Ryan in the clubhouse, and liked what he heard. “If you ever see his windmill thing on the mound, Joe good,” Buxton said. “That’s what he tells me. I’m like, ‘All right. I better see it every inning.’ That’s our little thing to kind of lock us in, letting him know he’s ready.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms