Tyler Duffey threw only 30 pitches in the first three innings of his start against Kansas City on Thursday night, but the Royals tagged him for five earned runs in the 4th inning, leading to an 8-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
“We sent the catcher out,” manager Paul Molitor told the Star Tribune. “We sent the pitching coach out. We sent players in there. We were just trying to get him back to where he could slow it down a little bit.”
Brian Dozier took Dillon Gee deep in the first inning, but that’s all the Twins offense could muster. Gee threw 7.0 innings, giving up only five runs and striking out seven.
Duffey finished the night with two outs in the fourth, allowing his opponents to hit .294 against him and a 5.93 ERA.
“I think I tried to adjust by being better, and ultimately being worse,” Duffey told the Associated Press.
“Just kind of missing arm side with a fastball, then I end up yanking a curveball and then the one that [Alex] Gordon hit out wasn’t necessarily a good pitch to hit. It just went right into his swing path.
“And then, giving up a grand slam, that’s what happens when you walk a guy and hit a guy. That’s a really good lineup. I gave them some chances and they took full advantage of it.”
[Star Tribune, Associated Press]
