The Minnesota Twins’ strategy-by-necessity of starting three consecutive rookie pitchers against the defending American League champions is turning out about as well as could have been reasonably expected. Meaning, not well at all.
Adam Wilk, making his fifth career major league start, fared even worse than Nik Turley one night earlier, surrendering six runs, eight hits and three walks while recording only 10 outs as the Twins dropped a 9-3 decision to the Cleveland Indians in the first game of a split doubleheader Saturday.
Pitching the nightcap for the Twins: Adalberto Mejia, making his ninth career start. That game was delayed 75 minutes by rain in the fifth inning, and Cleveland – behind four home runs – eventually won 6-2 to take over the AL Central lead and improve to 6-0 at Target Field this year.
Now 14-23 at home, the Twins fell out of first place for the first time since May 9. They will try to avoid a four-game sweep Sunday with Kyle Gibson on the mound against Trevor Bauer.
“We kind of anticipated having some fun this series, and competing, and it hasn’t really worked out,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said between games. “Our pitching hasn’t really given us much of a chance.”
Wilk, called up from Class AAA Rochester before the game and designated for assignment immediately after it, was a best-of-bad-options choice for the Twins, considering he had given up six runs in 12 innings for the Red Wings. But the Twins ultimately decided that his big-league experience made him a better risk than some younger options.
“We don’t have a lot of experienced options, at least big-time experience, but he’s got a little bit,” Molitor said. “Cleveland’s hot right now. A lot of their guys are swinging well from the righthand side, I get that. But of all the people we could consider, his name kept coming up.”
The Indians wasted no time revealing the flaw in that logic. “We’ve done this more common as of late – (giving up) two-out rallies and still putting up crooked numbers,” Molitor said. “They can really hurt you.”

Key Results
(home team in CAPS)  

HOUSTON 7  Boston 1
PITTSBURGH 4  Cubs 3
LA ANGELS 9  Kansas City 0
Cleveland 6  MINNESOTA 2
TEXAS 10  Seattle 4
LA Dodgers 10  CINCINNATI 2
ATLANTA 8  Miami 7
San Diego 7  MILWAUKEE 5 Tampa Bay 3  DETROIT 2
Washington 7  NY METS 4
Arizona 5  PHILADELPHIA 1
OAKLAND 5  NY Yankees 2
BALTIMORE 15  St. Louis 7
COLORADO 5  San Francisco 1
White Sox 5  TORONTO 2

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