MINNEAPOLIS — The situation was already bad, but the Twins somehow made it worse.
In a 12-3 loss to Cleveland on Wednesday night at Target Field in front of an announced crowd of 14,222, Cleveland outhit the Twins 14-3. But as if the stark offensive disparity wasn't enough, the Twins decided to help Cleveland out a bit with some sloppy play.
Like in the fifth inning on a fielder's choice, when first baseman Miguel Sano scooped up the ball and made a too-wide pass to second instead of going for the easy out at first, leaving both runners on base. Oscar Mercado then blasted a three-run homer in the next at-bat.
Or in the seventh inning on Bradley Zimmer's single, which he tried to stretch to second with Myles Straw already safe at third. Twins third baseman Luis Arraez whipped a quick pass back to second base only for the ball to ricochet off Jorge Polanco's glove, allowing Straw to run home and Zimmer to push up to third.
Or also in the seventh inning, when a wildly high pitch from reliever Jovani Moran put Cleveland's Jose Ramirez in scoring position for Franmil Reyes to drive in on his subsequent base hit.
Sano, though, at least kept the Twins from total embarrassment. His second-inning double was the Twins' only hit until his three-run home run in the seventh, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler had walked ahead of him. That inning is what finally cleared Cleveland starter Cal Quantrill from the game. After five of six perfect innings, he lost his control and walked three Twins players plus allowed Sano's homer.
Twins starter Griffin Jax lasted only 4 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and five runs (of which three were earned). He started off decent enough, allowing just one hit in the first three innings. But yet again his consistency flagged.
"His ability to continue to stay focused throughout his starts and maintain what he shows us at the beginning of these starts is very important," manager Rocco Baldelli said pregame of Jax. "And how much of that is physical, how much of that is is mental? ... He certainly shows us the ability to execute. And that's all of his pitches. It's not just one pitch in particular. And he goes out there and shows it to us, and then it kind of wavers for a little bit. And then there are times where he finds it again. Holding that throughout the entire start is the key here."
Before his departure in the fifth inning, Jax let that homer from Mercado, at the bottom of Cleveland's lineup, go to left field. Moran, who came in for Jax, stayed for just 1 2/3 innings, with his four hits and four runs allowed. He vacated for Andrew Albers, and Bobby Bradley immediately hit a two-run homer off Albers in a five-run seventh inning for Cleveland.
Albers let another by him in the ninth inning from Reyes, putting the Twins on pace for nearly 245 home runs allowed this season, which would be a new team record. The 1996 team is currently atop that auspicious mark having allowed 233 home runs.
