CLEVELAND - The Twins' pitching is going so bad right now, they're going to get somebody hurt.
Whether from baseballs are screaming into the bleachers at 110 mph, or ricocheting off opponents' helmets at 99 mph, it's a wonder nobody had to be hospitalized after another ugly Twins loss, this one 7-4 to Cleveland. The only real damage, it seems, is the continual harm done to their record, which now stands at 7-15 after their 13th loss in 15 games.
Kenta Maeda surrendered six extra-base hits, including three mammoth home runs on Tuesday, and the Twins' embattled bullpen somehow made things worse. Defrocked closer Alex Colome bounced a 95-mph cutter off the bill of Josh Naylor's helmet, then walked three hitters to force in a run. When Jorge Alcala finally relieved him, the young righthander forced in another run by beaning Jordan Luplow with a 99-mph fastball.
That basically ended the Twins' chances, on a night in which their offense did a reasonable job of staying close without the benefit of facing Twins' pitching.
C'mon, Nelson Cruz tripled. What better symbol of a turnaround can the Twins ask for?
Cruz's first three-bagger as a Twin drove in Byron Buxton in the first inning, and Cruz scored twice on the night. Buxton homered, too, and the Twins managed four runs for only the second time in nine games.
But they were no match for Cleveland, which battered Maeda with long solo home runs by Jose Ramirez and two by Franmil Reyes. They also doubled three times, with Ramirez and Jake Bauers driving in runs.
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