MINNEAPOLIS _ The average outing by a major-league starting pitcher currently is around 51/3 innings.
The Twins believed they would get more than that from right-hander Jake Odorizzi when they traded for him during spring training _ but they would gladly take that now.
Odorizzi, known for his array of pitches and propensity to pitch up in the strike zone, is struggling to be even average these days. And his outing on Saturday was even farther from that.
Unable to find the right pitch at the right time, unable to finish off hitters, unable to induce weak contact, Odorizzi was beaten down in a wave of line drives on Saturday as the Rangers beat the Twins, 9-6, at Target Field. Odorizzi was knocked out of the game in the second inning for the second shortest start of his career. And his shortest start was one inning last season in Kansas City because of an injury.
The Twins loaded the bases with one out in the ninth before Eddie Rosario slapped a two-run double down the left-field foul line. Logan Morrison, who homered in the sixth inning, batted with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth but struck out.
While the announced crowd of 23,230 had reasons in the first and ninth innings to cheer, Odorizzi's struggles _ and the hole he put the Twins in _ muted them in the other seven.
Robinson Chirinos and Adrian Beltre each homered to lead the Texas attack. Former manager Tom Kelly often referred to Texas as the, "Airborne Rangers," when the offense was on a roll, and that was the case on Saturday.
The Twins gave Odorizzi a 2-0 lead in the first when Joe Mauer singled before Rosario hit his 17th homer of the season. Odorizzi handed that back, and then some, the next inning.
Beltre reached on an infield single, Rougned Odor singled to center and Jurickson Profar was hit by a pitch to load the bases in a hurry. Joey Gallo flew out for the first out. Odorizzi fell behind Chirinos 2-0, battled back to 2-2 but missed down and away with a 3-2 splitter to force in a run.
Delino DeShields singled in two runs. Shin-Soo Choo _ who arrived at the park wearing an entire South Korean soccer kit _ drove in a run with a ground-rule double to make it 4-2.
Odorizzi struck out Elvis Andrus for the second out. But Nomar Mazara hit a two-run single to make it 6-2, and Beltre followed with his second single of the inning to chase Odorizzi, who did a slow burn on the mound as manager Paul Molitor walked out to hook him from the game.
Odorizzi faced 10 batters in second inning. He had two strikes on five of them but failed to finish any of them. He gave up six runs on six hits and it took him 42 pitches just to get two outs. His ERA is up to 4.97. He's averaging 14.9 outs a game _ less than five innings.
Odorizzi entered the game leading the majors in averaging 19.1 pitches per inning _ then threw 60 in 12/3 innings on Saturday.
Twins manager Paul Molitor, before the game, spoke of Odorizzi needing better command and quicker innings.
"I think as of late, he's probably a little frustrated," Molitor said. "We're trying to find ways (for him) to become more efficient so we're not burning up pitches as fast as we have been with him in the past several starts, really. And just looking for ways to get a little bit deeper."
Odorizzi has the stuff _ his two fastballs, slider, curve and split-finger change up _ to be hard to figure out when he's on. But he's struggled to get the feel for all of his pitches.
"Just trying to have a little bit better feel for all of his pitches from inning one where he doesn't have to battle and burn up pitches and the next thing you know we are looking at five innings maximum," Molitor said. "If he is commanding his fastball it is going to set up everything and hopefully he starts to get some quicker outs."
Odorizzi was 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA in his career against Texas entering Saturday. So it looked like the right matchup to get him going, yet it only made things worse. And it was back to the drawing board after Saturday.
Texas added two runs in the third on Chirinos' homer, then Beltre's solo homer in the fourth made it 9-2. Morrison's homer was all the Twins could muster off Texas right-hander Yovani Gallardo, who began the day with a 15.95 ERA.
And now the Twins have to win on Sunday to avoid being swept in the three game series.
Profar was hit three times by pitches, tying a Rangers record. Rangers manager Jeff Bannister yelled at Molitor after Addison Reed hit him in the seventh. Profar was hit for the second time in the fifth by Magill and promptly stole second base with the Rangers leading 9-2.
