Jose Berrios was nearly untouchable Wednesday night as the All-Star right-hander struck out 11 in a 7-4 win over the Marlins.
Berrios went seven innings and allowed just two hits before he was taken out of the game with the Twins comfortably ahead by a touchdown. Had the game been in an American League ballpark, Berrios wouldn’t have had to bat and therefore probably could’ve went the distance considering he needed just 81 pitches to complete seven frames.
Berrios now has a 2.80 ERA, which is just a shade higher than the only two starters ahead of him in the American League, Houston’s Justin Verlander (2.73 ERA) and Tampa Bay’s Charlie Morton (2.78 ERA).
Offensively, the Twins slugged a trio of homers:
- Mitch Garver 3-run HR in the third inning
- Max Kepler solo HR in the fifth inning
- Eddie Rosario 2-run HR in the fifth inning
Kepler leads the Twins with 29 homers this season, while Rosario is up to 23 and Garver has 20.
Minnesota led 7-0 before Sean Poppen surrendered four straight hits, including a grand slam to Brian Anderson, in the ninth inning.
He was replaced by Taylor Rogers, who got the only two batters he faced out to end the game.
At 66-41, the Twins are on pace to finish with 100 victories. Their current three-game winning streak is their first since June 13-15. They haven’t won four straight since rattling off six straight wins May 20-26.
The Twins go for the three-game sweep Thursday at 11:10 a.m. Michael Pineda starts for the Twins while the Marlins will send right-handed rookie Jordan Yamamoto to the mound.
