The longer the Twins’ game against the Tigers went on Saturday night, the better starter Pablo López pitched. But the damage was done early.
López surrendered three second-inning runs on a walk and three singles before settling down to finish a quality start, striking out 10 in seven innings as the Twins lost to the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, in front of 24,403 at Comerica Park.
“It’s one of those that definitely frustrates me a little, and kinda gets under my skin a little bit,” López said. “But as a pitcher, as a baseball player, you have to make peace with (the fact) there’s so many things you can’t control.
“… They obviously put the bat on the ball. We’re taught as pitchers that if you throw strikes, good things can happen. Hitters are told, ‘Make contact and good things will happen.’ ”
The loss snapped the Twins’ three-game losing streak and knocked them back to .500 (39-39), pulling second-place Cleveland within one game in the American League Central.
Right-hander Reese Olson (1-2) held the Twins to one run on four hits, and Alex Lange walked one and struck out four in 1 1/3 innings for his 12th save.
Carlos Correa and Joey Gallo hit solo home runs but, trailing by one, the Twins left the bases loaded in the eighth inning. The Twins also pulled Byron Buxton in the sixth inning because of back spasms, and reliever José De León appeared to seriously injure his right elbow while throwing warmup pitches in the eighth.
“It felt awful, and my elbow swelled up like crazy,” De León said. “But the doctors checked it and I don’t know exactly. It’s impossible to tell without an MRI. But I’m getting an MRI very soon and we will be able to know more.”
Manager Rocco Baldelli said De León would be placed on the injured list immediately. “He’s going to miss some time and we don’t know how much,” he said.
In the second inning, López (3-5) gave up a leadoff single to Nick Maton but erased him on a fielder’s choice grounder to shortstop Correa. It might have been a double play, but second baseman Edouard Julien double-clutched his throw to first and Andy Ibanez reached easily.
López then walked Miguel Cabrera, the future hall of famer struggling at age 40, on six pitches. The right-hander had Cabrera behind 1-2, then had the count at 2-2 before throwing consecutive balls to put runners at first and second.
“Obviously, the walk I would like to have back; that’s definitely something that was more under my control,” López said. “The rest of the singles, the ground balls that got through, and the bloops that fell, there’s nothing I can do about it. It’s just baseball.”
Eric Haase then lined a single into center field to score Ibanez for a 1-0 lead, No. 9 hitter Jake Marisnick followed with a blooper to load the bases, and Jake McKinstry followed with another Texas Leaguer to center that scored Cabrera and Haase for a 3-0 lead.
None of the contact was particularly hard, but it was enough. López was ahead of every hitter who singled or walked, and had two strikes on four of them. He fanned first baseman Spencer Torkelson and got Kerry Carpenter to fly out to center to end the inning.
Olson took over from there, allowing only three base runners — on two singles and a walk — before Correa took a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left-center field to pull Minnesota within 3-1.
Olson then gave up a single to right by Kirilloff before manager A.J. Hinch pulled the right-hander for José Cisnero, who got Buxton to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. The Twins designated hitter appeared to pull up out of the box before jogging into first and was pulled from the game with back spasms.
Gallo tied the game with a solo home run to straightaway center off Chasen Shreve in the seventh, and the Twins had a juicy chance to at least tie the game after loading the bases in the eighth.
Correa hit a one-out single off Jason Foley. After Kirilloff flied out to the warning track in left, Willi Castro — pinch-hitting for Buxton — singled to left. Foley was relieved by Tigers saves leader Alex Lange, who got Donovan Solano to bounce to third, but it was booted by Maton and the bases were loaded for rookie Royce Lewis.
Lewis drew the count full but swung and missed at a sinking offspeed pitch to end the threat.
“We had good chances a couple of times and it didn’t go our way,” Correa said. “That’s baseball, man. We’ll show up tomorrow and win the series.”
As for Buxton, manager Rocco Baldelli said it’s unclear how serious his issue is.
“He wasn’t going to be able to stay in the game today,” he said. “He seems to already be feeling a little bit better right now. We’ll see in the morning just how he’s doing.”
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Twins lose pitcher, win streak and game in Detroit - St. Paul Pioneer Press
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