CLEVELAND _ The pitcher did not look like a prospect Saturday. Nope, Jose Berrios was on the attack.
Hitters were challenged. Strikes were thrown with conviction. Rally squirrels were ignored. Berrios pitched like someone who doesn't want to throw another inning in the minor leagues.
And the Twins, after a slow start, sprinted past the Indians to a 4-1 victory at Progressive Field in Berrios' 2017 debut. The Twins' fourth consecutive victory secures another day in first place, but it was a day to think beyond that. Berrios enabled the Twins imagine what every fifth day could look like with him on the mound.
Berrios held Cleveland to one run on two hits and a walk over 72/3 innings with four strikeouts thanks to a come-and-get-me fastball around 93-95 miles per hour that the Indians could not handle.
Berrios reached three-ball counts just three times against Cleveland hitters, a reflection of how he was in the zone all afternoon. He mixed in a breaking balls and change ups when he needed to.
Cleveland had one runner reach scoring position during the first six innings, when Carlos Santana sent a drive to the wall in the third. Byron Buxton froze as the ball came off the bat, then tried to make a leaping catch while slamming into the wall. The ball popped out, and Santana was on with a two-out triple. Santana scored on a wild pitch with Francisco Lindor at the plate to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead.
Berrios ended up walking Lindor but struck out Michael Brantley on three pitches _ the third one looking _ to end the inning.
The Twins had no hits against Cleveland right-hander Mike Clevinger at the time. In fact, their three-run rally in the fourth started with two walks. Their first hit was a Joe Mauer bunt, and a run scored when Clevinger's throw to first was wild. A second run scored on Kennys Vargas' ground out. And the Twins made 3-1 when Jorge Polanco singled to left to score Mauer.
Max Kepler added a home run in the sixth as the Twins took a 4-1 lead. Kepler has six home runs at Progressive Field since the beginning of 2016. The Twins have hit home runs in 14 straight games, their longest streak since 1988 and two shy of the club record.
Brantley's strikeout was the first of 10 straight Indians retired by Berrios as he was more efficient later in the game than the beginning. He averaged 17.3 pitches an inning over the first three innings but he used just 12 in the fourth, 12 in the fifth just eight in the sixth and nine in the seventh. The sixth was delayed about five minutes when a squirrel entered the field, ran across the diamond, went behind the plate then back inside the third base line as fans roared. Berrios looked at the critter and spread his arms out at one point as if to say, "what do you want, rally squirrel?"
Twins manager Paul Molitor came out to talk with home plate umpire CB Bucknor. Eventually, the grounds crew emerged and chased the squirrel up into the stands.
The inning was over two pitches later. Berrios fired strike one then got Brantley to pop out to short. Berrios followed with another 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. His 93rd pitch of the game landed in Buxton's glove to end the inning.
The same formula worked the entire afternoon. Berrios attacked the upper portion of the strike zone, and Indians hitters could not handle him. If he fell behind 1-0, the count was evened.
Taylor Rogers replaced Berrios with two outs in the eighth and got Carlos Santana to fly out on the first pitch. Brandon Kintzler came on for the ninth and picked up his 10th save. The Twins have held the defending American League champion Indians to one run over two games.
