Overview
- The Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1 on Sunday to avoid a three-game sweep thanks to Matthews, who carried a perfect game into the sixth and worked 8 1/3 innings.
- Matthews finished August 5-0 with a 2.90 ERA over 31 innings and five strikeouts in Sunday’s outing that marked the longest start of his career.
- Minnesota placed center fielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list with a lingering hip impingement and still lacks depth after Joe Ryan and Kendry Rojas went to the injured list.
- The loss of regular contributors has left the Twins roughly 8 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central and several games out of the final wild-card spot, creating a narrow path to the postseason.
- With September beginning and a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers next, the team must sustain its offense and preserve starting pitching depth to mount any realistic comeback.