CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Maybe adding a mercy rule in MLB isn’t the worst idea out there.
Friday night’s Indians game with the Twins would’ve qualified but teaching Triston McKenzie to throw strikes would be an even better one for Cleveland.
McKenzie and the Indians completely collapsed during a disastrous fourth inning that saw the Twins score nine times on just five hits with the help of five walks, an error and a misplayed fly ball that went for a two-run double as Minnesota rolled to a 10-0 win in front of a 40% capacity crowd of 11,675 at Progressive Field Friday night.
“When he loses the strike zone, it’s like he gets to a point when he’s trying to stay away from contact and trying to be too perfect and the walks are piling up,” manager Terry Francona said. “I think he only gave up a couple hits, but they got a big inning going.”
McKenzie was charged with six earned runs on two hits in just 3 1/3 innings. He waled five and struck out four while throwing 72 pitches, 37 for strikes.
“I feel like sometimes I let the game speed up on me and that’s not supposed to happen,” McKenzie said. “I feel like it’s been a common theme in most of my starts, the walks. I feel like I’ve worked on some delivery stuff leading up to this start. I feel like now it just comes down to a mindset thing and making sure I’m in the [strike] zone.”
The last place Twins looked well rested from their 4:30 a.m. Cleveland arrival after playing a double header in Anaheim Thursday while it was the Indians who looked jetlagged coming off an off day.
Twins starter Randy Dobnak, who came into the game with an 8.16 ERA, threw six scoreless innings allowing just three hits while striking out five and walking two to pick up his first victory of the season for Minnesota.
“He slowed us down, change-up, breaking ball off his two-seam and fastball, and there are nights when it really gives us a tough time,” Francona said. “More often than I would like. It’s just part of the growing.”
Center fielder Rob Refsnyder took McKenzie for a trip to the bleachers to lead off the top of the third for a 1-0 Twins lead. It was the first homer of the season for Minnesota’s center fielder and No. 8 hitter.
Then the fateful fourth.
McKenzie worked himself into trouble by walking Max Kepler and Miguel Sano between a single by Alex Kirilloff to load the bases with none out. Trevor Larnach hit a smash to Jake Bauers at first, who went for a 3-6-3 double play but shortstop Amed Rosario misfired on the return throw to first allowing a second run to score on the play for 3-0 Twins lead.
It was the first error for Cleveland in nine games.
McKenzie hit the showers after waking his fourth hitter in the inning to reload the bases with one out.
“It’s been a slippery slope,” McKenzie said. “Instead of attacking the next guy I’ve been like, ‘don’t let another one happen’ and I need to get out of that mindset.”
Reliever Phil Maton was greeted by Andrelton Simmons with an RBI single to right making it 4-0 Minnesota. Maton, who was charged with four runs, walked Josh Donaldson with two out, scoring the fourth run of the inning.
Kepler drove in a pair during his second at-bat of the inning with a double that Josh Naylor misplayed in right. Kirilloff drove home two more with a single to left and the ninth run of the inning scored on a double to left by Miguel Sano.
“It kind of unraveled,” Francona said. “He [Maton] was close to getting out of it but it kind of got away from us.”
The one pitching positive came from J.C. Mejia, who struck out five of the eight hitters he faced in his major league debut.
“He came in and threw strikes and he’s got really good two-seam (fastball) movement and he can spin a breaking ball off of it,” Francona said. “In a kid’s first outing, you’re never quite sure what the nerves will be, but he came in and threw strikes, and with that movement, it gives him a chance. That was fun to watch.”
The Indians had multiple baserunners three times but came up empty – in the fourth runners at the corners with one out, again with two outs in the fifth and second and third with an out in the eighth.
Yu Chang snapped an 0-12 with a one-out double in the eighth but the Indians were blanked for the fourth time this season.
