Top pitching prospect Jose Berrios made his major league debut on Wednesday, but things didn’t go as planned after he gave up five earned runs over four innings. He also walked two and hit a batter, but still had five strikeouts. A rally late in the game fell short and the Twins lost 6-5.
Berrios with a 1-2-3 fourth and strikes out Byrd looking to end the inning. He has five Ks in four innings.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) April 28, 2016
Weather conditions weren’t ideal, according to MLB.com. The game was delayed by rain, followed by a Minnesota-like, game-time temperature of 44 degrees.
The Twins certainly tried to win the game for Berrios. They spotted him three runs in the bottom of the first, but Berrios wasn’t sharp after that, throwing 93 pitches. He gave up two runs in the top of the third and three more in the fourth before he was replaced by lefty Fernando Abad.
Berrios on his start, according to MLB.com:
“When I got on the mound and threw the first pitch, I was excited, but after that, I felt comfortable,” Berrios said. “Today I didn’t have very good command with my secondary pitches. But that happens. So I’ll keep working hard on that for my next start.”
“It was a big difference, because up here they don’t swing a lot and hit a lot of foul balls,” Berrios said. “But it’s the same game. You just have to trust your stuff and you have the chance to get outs.”
“When I came out in the fifth inning, they gave a big clap for me, and I appreciated that,” Berrios said. “My confidence is up, and I’ll be great next time.”
Molitor was pretty definitive that Jose Berrios' next start will be with the Twins, not Rochester. "He deserves another opportunity."
— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) April 28, 2016