Twins rookie Joe Ryan is utilizing his slider more this season than he did after getting traded from Tampa Bay last year. (Charlie Riedel, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A year ago, Joe Ryan debuted in the majors as a fastball-intensive pitcher, confident to fill the strike zone with a heater that topped out at 93 miles per hour. That's not the heat most teams covet, but Ryan succeeded because of some deception in his delivery and enough movement to miss bats.

That hasn't changed in 2022, but this year the Twins righthander is throwing fastballs 51.5% of the time compared to 65.8% last season. Why?

Enter the slider.

Ryan's slider has been on a journey. But it's now at the point where he's comfortable increasing the usage. He also throws a changeup and a curve, giving him the standard four-pitch mix. His slider usage has increased from 16% last season to 31.2% this year.

"I just didn't have a slider, so I just threw my curveball and changeup, and I threw a lot of changes because of it," Ryan said. "And then I moved up because it was working. And then got to the point where, yeah, I felt like it would be smart to add something in. So I added it in.

"I kind of like adding pitches and learning how they work and looking at other guys who throw them and talking to teammates that have good stuff that I can pick their brain about what they're doing. That's fun for me."

Ryan is 2-1 with a 1.69 ERA through three outings. Thursday, he shut out Kansas City on two hits and a walk over six innings, and the Twins held on for a 1-0 victory to avoid getting swept.

Ryan just started throwing the slider last season but is comfortable with throwing it to lefthanded or righthanded hitters — basically, whenever he thinks it can be effective.

"It plays against both," he said. "I think it just, depending, usually I pitch pretty situationally and then find out which guys it's going to work the best to and throw it to those guys. So I don't really look at it as righty, lefty necessarily."

Chris Archer, Ryan's teammate with the Rays last season and now again with the Twins, chatted with the rookie after his outing Thursday. Archer throws a pretty nifty slider himself and has watched Ryan's bullpen sessions while offering advice.

"I just like the extra set of eyes and especially for me, some of these guys have so much time and have done it for so long that it's kind of like a book, right?" Ryan said. "They put all that information and I just get to read it. It's a great resource to have."

Buxton sits

Byron Buxton was the designated hitter Thursday, his first action since missing five games because of a sore right knee. After going 1-for-4 on Thursday, Buxton was not in the lineup Friday.

As scheduled.

The plan all along was to ease Buxton back into everyday action and getting Friday off indicates that he should be in Saturday's lineup for Game 2 vs. the White Sox. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Buxton got through Thursday's game with no problems.

Nick Gordon got the start in center again in Buxton's absence.

Etc.

Sonny Gray will pitch in the bullpen in the coming days, Baldelli said. Gray left last Saturday's start at Boston in the first inning because of a sore hamstring.
White Sox ace Lucas Giolito will be activated from the injured list in time to start Sunday in the final game of this three-game series.