Dealing with injuries, players who are day-to-day and a major suspension (see Michael Pineda’s status), the Twins went with a youthful lineup and youth on the mound and it showed in a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.
The Twins scored two runs on five hits, getting three extra-base hits and two singles. They also struck out 10 times as a team and were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
The Tribe also stuck out 10 times as a team and were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, but they also had 11 hits, including two home runs.
The Indians pick up a game on the Twins and now trail the team from Minnesota by 5.5 games. Up next, the Indians head to Southern California to play the Angels, while the Twins stay put to play the Washington Nationals.
Jose Berrios gets the ball Tuesday.
Extra innings…
-How many Twins players are dealing with some kind of pain or injury or suspension? Nine, according to Baseball-Reference.com. The list: Byron Buxton, Jake Cave, Nelson Cruz, Sam Dyson, Kyle Gibson, Marwin Gonzalez, Michael Pineda, Sean Poppen and Sergio Romo. We also learned Sunday that Max Kepler left the game with upper chest pain and Miguel Sano is dealing with back stiffness.
-Who allowed the five runs? Randy Dobnak, Devin Smeltzer and Cody Stashak.
-The Indians countered with Mike Clevinger, who struck out seven over six-plus innings and improved to 11-2 with a 2.72 ERA.
-Outfielder Ryan LaMarre, who spent time with the Twins last season, is back with the club after the Twins traded to get him from the Atlanta Braves organization.
According to MLB Trade Rumors:
LaMarre was productive for the Braves Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, slashing .311/.380/.477, albeit with a .416 BABIP. He also started 44 games in center field for the Stripers, so he’ll give the Twins a center field capable depth piece for the regular season’s final month.