Jose Berrios gave up some hard contact early in the Twins' 4-2 win Monday, and not just to Nick Castellanos. The Tiger homered in the first inning and singled home another run in the third, both on first-pitch fastballs that Berrios hoped would surprise him. Instead, he was the one surprised.
"Castellanos was paying attention, and he was ready," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Maybe he's thinking, 'He's going to throw me another fastball, thinking I'm not expecting the fastball.' Sure enough, he hit it up the middle."
A few other Tigers hit the ball hard, too, though several were at Twins fielders. But Berrios noticed, and made an adjustment.
"At the beginning of the game, it felt like they knew what I was going to throw," Berrios said. "So we went back to the dugout and came back with a different game plan that worked."
It worked. Berrios didn't allow a hit after the third inning, retiring 16 of the final 17 hitters he faced.
PHIL MILLER
