ATLANTA – Fresh off throwing a complete-game shutout last Thursday, the Twins' first in more than five years, Joe Ryan watched his first pitch Tuesday sail over the wall in center field.
It didn't stop there. Ryan yielded a triple on his sixth pitch, another homer on his ninth pitch and a third home run of the first inning on his 20th pitch. From his best start of the season to his worst in five days.
"They probably took the best swings I've ever seen," Ryan said after a 6-2 loss at Truist Park. "I don't think anyone has ever hit my fastball like that."
Ryan, who had allowed four homers in his past 11 starts, surrendered five homers to his first 10 batters to the delight of the sellout crowd of 42,635. Entering with a 2.98 ERA, he lasted three innings in his shortest start of the year while giving up a season-high nine hits and six runs.
In Ryan's last start, he relied heavily on his fastball in his three-hit shutout. Atlanta's lineup was ready for it. All four hits he gave up in the first inning — three homers and a triple — came off his fastball with an average exit velocity of 106 mph. The homers kept flying farther as the inning continued: Ronald Acuña Jr. (406 feet), Austin Riley (417 feet) and Sean Murphy (445 feet).
"It seemed to me like they really got on the [pitching] machine before the game and hit some fastballs up in the zone," said Carlos Correa, who had a lengthy chat with Ryan on the mound after a two-out infield single in the second inning. "They were ready from pitch one that they were not going to give any strikes away."
In the second inning, Ryan conceded back-to-back homers to Michael Harris III and Acuña. When Ryan saw Acuña swat a splitter over the left-field wall, he shook his head and mouthed "wow" after he received a new ball.
"I felt like I was executing my pitches for the most part," said Ryan, who was most upset with a hanging slider to Harris. "Definitely a difficult outing. Definitely some surprise there, too."
