Twins day at camp: Jose Berrios apologizes for beaning teammates in intrasquad game

The problem with intrasquad games, pitcher Jose Berrios said Tuesday, is that you know the players you're trying to beat. So when he hit former Chattanooga teammate Travis Harrison with a fastball Tuesday, or clipped the shoulder of Leonardo Reginatto, a newly acquired infielder he met last week, with another, it wasn't like making those mistakes in a normal game.

"They're my friends," Berrios said. "I hit two friends. But I say, sorry, it's baseball."

Actually, Berrios had bigger problems than bruising his pals. The Twins' top pitching prospect probably hurt his chances of winning a spot in the rotation, because the hit batters were only the start of a bout of wildness. Berrios faced 14 mostly Class AA hitters during his start, and retired only seven of them. Three walks, two hits and five runs later — two of them coming home on a Daniel Palka double to deep center field — Berrios could only speculate about what went wrong.

"Control and command," the rookie pitcher said of his 63-pitch outing, which included only 30 strikes. "I was a little bit rushing and I lose my command. I tell myself, 'You're rushed,' I try to get my body and arm the same, but then I'm tired. … I'll try to work on my stuff and prepare myself better next time."

Ervin Santana was reminded Tuesday about the difference between major and minor league hitters.

"In the big leagues, they let you pitch. They see pitches, see what's the difference between your fastball and slider, fastball and changeup," Santana said. "Down there, they just swing."

And sometimes they connect. Santana, starting opposite Berrios in the same intrasquad game, allowed four runs in 3⅔ innings, including a home run to Trey Vavra, son of Twins bench coach Joe Vavra.

Mostly what happened, Santana said, is that he used more changeups during his 65-pitch outing than he normally would, particularly against righthanders, to prepare for his potential Opening Day start April 4 in Baltimore.

"Throw strikes, keep the ball down, throw changeups to righties," Santana said of his outing, in front of manager Paul Molitor and pitching coach Neil Allen. "It's important not to change anything in my routine."

• Logan Darnell spent the past three days in bed, trying to recover from an illness that got him sent home late last week. So when he felt strong again Tuesday, the Twins gave him an inning of work, too. He used only his fastball and changeup.

"I'm phenomenal," he said, just happy to be healthy again. "I needed to come in and throw."

• Infielder Danny Santana was treated for inflammation in his left wrist this week, but is expected to be cleared to play again Wednesday.