JUPITER, FLA. – Devin Smeltzer is unlikely to ever throw as many sliders in a regular season game as he did in two innings Monday, but that's what spring training is for. And the fact that a few of them were converted into hits didn't deter him.
Smeltzer gave up four runs on five hits during his brief start at Roger Dean Stadium, but was upbeat about his progress after the Twins' 6-1 loss to the Cardinals.
"I put myself in really good counts. I threw a lot of sliders today. It's not my out pitch. In a normal game, you're going to see a higher percentage of curveballs and changeups in those two-strike situations," Smeltzer said after the Twins dropped their third consecutive Grapefruit League game. "It was more about making sure that pitch is where I need it to be on Opening Day."
Smeltzer gave up a first-inning run on a pair of singles by Yadier Molina — who hit a slider — and Tyler O'Neill. Smeltzer gave up three more in the second inning, partly due to a throwing error by third baseman Ehire Adrianza. He also left a 3-1 changeup too high, and Tommy Edman rocketed it into the left-field corner for an RBI single.
The Twins, who have scored a total of three runs over their past three games, managed only four hits against St. Louis pitching, including Royce Lewis' line-drive double. Lewis also appeared to have homered for a second game in a row, but the sky-high ball was ruled foul by third base umpire Angel Hernandez.
The Twins' lone run came in the eighth inning, when outfielder Gilberto Celestino doubled home infielder Drew Maggi.
