Series of Twins pitchers struggle in 8-4 loss to Tigers

Sonny Gray was annoyed when he was pulled from his start after four innings and 79 pitches Thursday night, and he didn't hide his frustration in a lengthy dugout conversation with manager Rocco Baldelli.

Following an 8-4 loss to the Tigers at Target Field, Gray and Baldelli amicably agreed to continue the chat in the manager's office to clear the air.

"All I ask is maybe the opportunity to fight through it when it's not going well," said Gray, who exited with a two-run lead before Jovani Moran gave up three runs in the fifth inning and Jorge López surrendered three more in the ninth.

Gray labored through a 35-pitch fourth inning, though he nearly came out unscathed. When the Tigers loaded the bases with no outs, Gray induced a double play against Miguel Cabrera with a sinker at the bottom of the strike zone. After another walk, he struck out the No. 9 hitter, Jake Rogers, to end the inning in a seven-pitch at-bat.

In the dugout, Baldelli informed Gray he was turning to the bullpen for the fifth inning. Gray shook his head as he listened to Baldelli, then picked up his cap and glove before dropping them back on the bench. After pacing a couple of steps, Gray voiced his displeasure with the decision.

The four-inning outing matched Gray's shortest start of the year, his four walks tying a season high.

"I'm super competitive and when I don't have it, I still feel I can get a job done," Gray said. "That was all it was. There is nothing other than that."

Gray, who owns the fifth-lowest ERA in the majors (2.37), was pitching on an extra day of rest after Monday's off day, but Baldelli looked for his bullpen to cover 15 outs.

The Twins' two-run lead was gone after two outs.

Moran, who warmed up during Gray's 35-pitch fourth inning, gave up two singles, including one that didn't leave the infield, before Javier Báez lined a game-tying, two-run triple into center field. With one out and a runner at third base, the Twins played with the infield drawn in, but second baseman Kyle Farmer had no play at the plate on a slow roller that scored the go-ahead run.

"I want guys like Sonny Gray who want to stay on the mound and go," Baldelli said. "Sometimes, there's a conversation to be had in those moments that I want to hear. And sometimes, you just have to make a decision as far as what to do with your pitching for the rest of the game."

It was the third time in Gray's past four starts he didn't reach 80 pitches.

The lefthanded Moran entered against the top of the Tigers lineup, and two of the first three batters he faced were lefties. Moran permitted one run in his previous 10 ⅔ innings before giving up multiple runs in an inning for the first time since April 18.

Gray understood the thinking behind Baldelli's decision because of a taxing fourth inning and his walks, but he felt good after escaping the fourth-inning jam with only one run scoring.

"I felt like I was just competing," Gray said. "Obviously, I didn't have my best stuff. I wasn't throwing a ton of strikes and I was walking guys. At the same time, I was trying to bear down, and I was just trying to stay in the fight."

Gray knows he needs to do a better job of avoiding long innings. He threw a first-pitch strike to five of the six batters he faced in the second inning, but he yielded a walk and two singles with two outs, leading to the game's first run.

"I continue to put myself in situations, bases loaded with no outs, bases loaded one out," Gray said. "I don't feel like I get hit a ton, but it's something that when you continue to walk guys, it will eventually catch up with you."