Simeon Woods Richardson had a less-than-ideal start on the mound against Kansas City last night, allowing eight hits, four walks and four runs across 5 ⅔ innings on 107 pitches en route to suffering the loss as the Kansas City Royals won 4-2 at Kauffman Stadium, pushing the Twins’ record to a pitiful 3-7.
Richardson struggling in 2025
The number of pitches it took Richardson to not even get through the sixth inning continued the worrisome trend of Twins starters failing to pitch deep into ball games.
Because of this issue, Minnesota has already DFA’d Randy Dobnak and aspiring fan-favorite Darren McCaughan, who each took turns taking on large chunks of innings. Scott Blewett was next in line last night, pitching the remainder 2 ⅔ innings for Minnesota after Richardson’s exit.
The vibes last night were substandard in every facet of the game. Richardson struggled, there was a lack of timely hitting, and Rocco Baldelli was ejected after a clearly incorrect pitch clock violation call on the Twins’ young starting pitcher with Jonathan India at the plate.
Richardson gave up just two runs in his first start of the season against the Chicago White Sox on April 1, but he only lasted four innings and gave up five hits.
Richardson should bounce back
Despite his struggles, Richardson garnered 11 strikeouts across 9 ⅔ innings in his two starts this season.
Four walks last night displayed command issues for the 24-year-old pitcher, but he only allowed one free pass against the White Sox. Also, one of those four walks against the Royals was due to the questionable call from home plate umpire Nic Lentz.
The most apparent sign that Richardson will get back on track is his 3.69 FIP, suggesting he was unlucky in his first two starts.
Last night, Vinnie Pasquantino made the score 1-0 after blooping a 79.1 mph RBI double in front of left fielder Harrison Bader. And in the second, Kyle Isbel reached base on a soft infield single to third baseman José Miranda, allowing MJ Melendez to score. If it weren’t for those two softly-hit RBIs, there’s a good chance we would’ve witnessed an extra-inning showdown.
Who will Richardson face next?
Richardson’s next start will most likely be against the red-hot Detroit Tigers next weekend. If so, it will be a tough test for the young starter, as the Tigers lead the American League Central with a 6-4 record and rank fourth in MLB in OPS at .790.
