Pitcher Jose Berrios improved to 2-0 Thursday after he and two relievers combined on a 3-hit shutout of the Colorado Rockies. But forget the relievers for the moment because the night belonged to Berrios.
Berrios, who struggled in his rookie campaign last season, appears to have found a welcome battery mate in Jason Castro. With Castro behind the plate, Berrios dominated, striking out 11 batters over seven-plus innings. He also lowered his ERA to 0.59 en route to a 2-0 victory over the Rox.
The win also snapped a three-game losing streak and cast a favorable light on Twins pitching again after the previously red-hot Ervin Santana and Phil Hughes struggled in their last starts. Hector Santiago gets the ball on Friday versus the Kansas City Royals, followed by Adalberto Mejia, recently recalled from Triple-A Rochester.
Extra innings…
-Deadspin recently profiled the Rockies and questioned whether the team could sustain its winning ways. They also mentioned the now-completed series with the Twins.
The team sets out on the road this week for a 10-game stretch. They’ll first battle a lively Minnesota Twins crew featuring a 4-1 Phil Hughes (say what?) before having to deal with Ervin Santana (yikes) and then Jose Berrios—who threw a two-hitter against Cleveland in his 2017 debut.
-Former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is back in the dugout as bench coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks following prostate surgery. Gardenhire is working alongside manager Torey Lovullo, who also has a connection to the Twins. Before Paul Molitor was hired in Minnesota, Lovullo interviewed for the job.
And there was this:
Ian Desmond on Jose Berrios: "It looked a lot like Jose Fernandez, to be honest with you."
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) May 19, 2017