The Twins lost the game and the series on Wednesday after the bullpen served up three runs late for a 6-3 Cleveland win.
Although reliever Sergio Romo was tagged with the loss, Jose Berrios again gave the Twins an uneven start. He was brilliant in his last appearance, but lacked command in this one after tossing 105 pitches in five-plus innings. And walks will always kill. Berrios issued four free passes, including one that came around to score on a three-run blast in the bottom of the third inning.
The Twins scored first, the Tribe rallied for three runs in the third, the Twins tied the game in the seventh and then Romo got knocked around for three more runs in the eighth. And that was the game.
The Twins stay on the road and head to Motown. The Tigers probably aren’t as bad as last season, but it’s hard not to see this series as a chance for the Twins to create some separation between them and the Indians/White Sox. The Twins still lead the division by half a game.
Randy Dobnak gets the ball on Thursday.
Extra innings…
-A number of teams in baseball, basketball (both men and women) and soccer refused to play on Wednesday to protest the recent shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin. More teams could follow, including the Twins.
-On the third pitch of the game, Max Kepler hit his seventh home run of the season and the 12th of his career in Cleveland. But after the home run, he fouled a ball off his foot and left the game. The last thing the Twins need is for Kepler to join the long list of walking wounded.
-Jake Cave filled in for Kepler and had two hits. Luis Arraez also had two hits and is now hitting .284.
-MLB.com notes that the Twins aren’t getting much mileage from the starting rotation and are leaning on the bullpen.
Use the Indians as a comparable. They’ve gotten 182 1/3 innings pitched from their starters, versus the Twins’ 146. As a result, Cleveland has needed 94 2/3 innings from its relievers versus Minnesota’s 132 1/3.
Source: MLB.com