Following up the Twins' 7-4 victory over the Indians, a victory the Twins sorely needed
Berrios does enough: Jose Berrios stopped the recent run of woeful starting pitching and managed to get the win while compiling six innings with seven strikeouts and allowing four runs. Berrios threw 99 pitches – his third outing with that pitch count – with 69 strikes.
According to Statcast, he threw 28 curveballs and 63 fastballs. Berrios said he had what amounted to four "missed" pitches. One was a curveball he hung to Edwin Encarnacion, who clubbed a two-run home run to make it 6-4 in the sixth.
But Berrios was able to settle after the home run and get two more out to exit the inning before exiting the game.
"I had 100 pitches so (manager Paul Molitor) was taking me out after the sixth," Berrios said. "But that's baseball. That's how many I throw in almost eight innings and they score two runs and we lose, but (Friday) they score four and we win. So that's what we want. We want to win, no matter what."
Getting Lindor out: It may have seemed like an easy Twins victory, but there was a nervous moment in the seventh when Francisco Lindor came up as the tying run for the Indians. Greg Allen had just tripled off the wall in right-centerfield and Lindor, he of the two doubles and two home runs the night prior, sent a bit of fear through the Target Field crowd.
But reliever Tyler Hildenberger was able to induce a harmless ground out from Lindor. Edwin Encarnacion would give the Twins insurance with a home run in the bottom half of the inning.
Skol night: Friday was "Skol night" at Target Field ,with five Vikings, -- Kirk Cousins, Harrison Smith, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Everson Griffen -- taking batting practice before the game. The Twins accentuated every home run and strikeout with a Viking horn call and featured purple lighting in the upper deck.
