Struggling Twins fight back, but can't end rut

MINNEAPOLIS – One split-second decision set the stage for yet another costly big inning as the Twins lost their fifth straight game, 6-5, to the Mariners on Tuesday night at Target Field.

Starter Chris Paddack was unable to stop the bleeding in a five-run Seattle third that continued an ugly trend for Minnesota pitchers. It was the sixth time in those five games that the Twins have allowed at least four runs in an inning.

And as has often been the case, it wasn’t a matter of big blasts. Instead, it was more the drip-drip-drip of smaller costly plays that added up to an inning that ultimately cost the Twins the game. They actually came back to tie it up before losing in the ninth, but the five-run deficit was the game’s defining feature.

“We have to limit those things,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “I'm talking about limiting damage and that's kind of what I'm going on about, but there's a lot of different ways to do that. Pitchers can do it, our defense can do it and help out. But limiting the other team, teams are going to score, but you've got to limit them and limit those big innings. That's something we've struggled with and know we have to turn around.”

For Paddack, it started with a perfectly placed leadoff infield single that Carlos Correa got a glove on but could not make a play on. Cole Young stroked a line drive single, bringing up J.P Crawford, who bunted. That’s where the inning started to turn.

As Crawford’s bunt rolled to the left side of the infield, third baseman Brooks Lee attempted to call off Paddack. But the starter made the ill-fated decision to stay on the ball, and ended up throwing it away when Lee likely would have had a straightforward play. That gave the Mariners bases loaded with no outs.

“I kind of patted Brooks on the back,” Paddack said, “and said ‘Hey, man, that’s on me.’ He called me off. It was just one of those plays just happened fast. I thought it was going to be bang-bang, that I needed to grab that ball. As I looked down the line, I had more time. By that time, kind of slowed up, ball got away from me.”

Julio Rodríguez hit a sacrifice fly and Cal Raleigh added a bloop single, and it was 2-0 Seattle with one out. Randy Arozarena battled out a tough walk, and then came the second moment that Paddack wanted back. On a 1-0 pitch with the bases loaded, he hit Luke Raley with a pitch. Donovan Solano slapped a two-run single and Seattle had a very crooked number on the board.

“If I had to take [back] one pitch, it would probably be the Raley at-bat,” Paddack said, “just because that puts him on for free. I didn’t actually get to compete there and see what result we would get.”

In his other four innings, Paddack was stellar, missing bats and inducing harmless contact. His velocity was up from his previous start in Cincinnati, and if not for one ugly inning, it would have been an encouraging outing.

That one inning happened, though, and it sent the Twins to their 11th loss in 12 games.

“I have to do a better job of not letting these long innings occur,” Paddack said. “We’re human beings. It’s going to happen again, even though I’m saying I don’t want it to happen. But I feel like I’ve been around enough to where I’ve got to be able to make those adjustments. If you look at the first two innings and the last two innings, I’m capable of putting up zeros. Maybe [they] don’t put up five, maybe they only put up two. There’s a difference there.”

Still, the veteran right-hander had a message of hope for those following the scuffling Twins.

“Keep the faith, Minnesota,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re busting our butts every day. This little funk that we’re in, this little storm that’s happening, it’s going to go away and things are going to happen good for the Twins here soon.”