ARLINGTON, Texas _ It sure looks like Jose Berrios has hit a wall.
The Twins right-hander posted his fifth consecutive short start on Saturday, leaving in the fourth inning of the Twins' 7-4 loss to the Rangers after just four innings during which he gave up three of the Rangers' four home runs. It continues a troubling trend during which Berrios now has a 6.65 ERA over his last five outings. The three home runs, to Nomar Mazara, Ronald Guzman and Adrian Beltre, tie a season high set July 4 at Milwaukee.
Since Aug. 4, Berrios hasn't pitched more than five innings. That also was the last time he threw over 100 pitches, 106 to be exact.
The Twins led 2-0 in the second _ one of the runs coming on a 443-foot homer to right by Jake Cave _ when the Rangers struck for four runs. Mazara led off the inning with a homer to center. After walking Jurickson Profar and Joey Gallo, catcher Mitch Garver when to the mound for a chat. The very next pitch was a belt-high fastball to Guzman, who parked it in the seats in right for a three-run homer and a 4-2 lead.
Berrios gave up a homer to Adrian Beltre in the fourth _ on a curveball that did nothing but wait to get hit _ that made it 5-2.
Berrios has thrown 1672/3 innings this season, short of the career high 1912/3 he threw last season between the Twins, Class AAA Rochester and during the World Baseball Classic. Granted, gametime temperature was 92 degrees and he's coming off of an outing on Sunday during which he was under the weather.
But the last two starts, combined with three before that _ he did give up one run over five rain-shortened innings against the White Sox on Aug. 21 _ is not a good look for someone who pitched in the All-Star Game this season.
The Twins scored runs in the fifth and the eighth but got no closer. Joe Mauer and Cave each had two hits for the Twins.
