MIAMI _ Neil Walker sent a squibber just inside the third-base line. The only one able to get to the ball was Twins right-hander Jose Berrios.
Berrios pounced off the mound, scooped up the ball and hurried his throw to first base. The Twins was high, forcing Marwin Gonzalez to jump for the ball. Walker was safe. And the Marlins had their first hit of the game.
It was the fifth inning.
Before that, Miami could not sniff a hit off Berrios. They barely made contact. In addition to his precise control. Berrios had his curveball wreaking all sorts of havoc with Marlins hitters.
It resulted in a signature performance by Berrios, a pitcher the Twins feel has the stuff to become an ace. If you ask manager Rocco Baldelli, he will argue that Berrios already belongs with the best in the game. That can be debated. But what can't be challenged that Berrios pitched like a boss on Wednesday, leaving the game in the seventh with a 7-0 lead before Miami got a grand slam in the ninth to make it 7-4.
Berrios had thrown 81 pitches through seven innings, retiring the side in order in six of those. He had amassed 11 strikeouts, a season high and one shy of his career record set last season against the Rangers. It was set up for Berrios to notch the Twins first complete game shutout of the season.
He never got the chance.
Nelson Cruz batted for Berrios in the eighth, and right-hander Sean Poppen took over in the bottom of the inning. He picked up where Berrios left off, striking out two during a scoreless inning. He fell apart in the ninth, giving up three singles then a grand slam to Brian Anderson. After Poppen struck out Neil Walker, Taylor Rogers entered and got the final two outs.
It was unclear as the final out was recorded why Berrios was removed from the game when his pitch count was more than manageable. Denied the complete game shutout, Berrios had to settle for his fourth scoreless outing of the season
Mitch Garver, Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario each hit home runs as the Twins have taken the first two games of the series and eye a sweep of the three-game series on Thursday. They also have a chance to go 6-1 during the seven-game road trip. It was the 32nd time the Twins have hit at least three home runs in a game.
Berrios notched two strikeouts in the first inning while throwing just nine pitches. He needed 11 in the second and 10 in the third. One time through the order, and Berrios had six strikeouts, a declaration that he was at the height of his powers on Wednesday. It came to the delight of a couple thousand Twins fans _ one waving a Puerto Rican flag _ who were in the stands.
After a 1-2-3 fourth, Walker reached on the infield hit in the fifth, and he was followed by a single by Starlin Castro. Berrios got the next three outs, struck out the side in the sixth then added a 1-2-3 seventh.
The right-hander had a nice cushion to deal with by then. Garver entered the game in a 0-for-16 slump broke out of it with authority, blasting a three-run homer in the third inning. Kepler led off the fifth with his 29th homer to make it 4-0. Three batters later, Rosario hit a two-run shot as the Twins took a 6-0 lead. Jonathan Schoop's RBI single finished off the scoring in the inning, and the Twins led 7-0.
