Cardinals smash Twins 7-3; Joe Ryan gives up four more home runs in latest struggle

ST. LOUIS – Joe Ryan has a home run problem and there haven't been any easy solutions.

The Cardinals hit three homers in a five-batter stretch in the second inning, and Alec Burleson hit a three-run homer in the third inning. It was the third consecutive start Ryan yielded multiple homers and the Twins delivered their biggest dud of a game since the All-Star break in a 7-3 loss Wednesday at Busch Stadium.

Ryan ditched the long-sleeve undershirt he's worn all season to avoid tipping pitches after the second inning. He tried an over-the-head windup in the fourth inning to try to mess with a couple of hitters' timing. In other words, he's searching for answers.

"I'm trying, really, not to dive into anything too deep, overthink anything and go into a spiral at all," Ryan said. "Mentality-wise, I feel still pretty even-keeled and where I was."

Ryan's issues with home runs are becoming a growing concern. After giving up four Wednesday, he raised his total to 17 homers allowed across his past seven starts. It's the most homers allowed by a Twins pitcher over a seven-start stretch in franchise history.

Dominant for the first two months of the season, Ryan has permitted 48 hits and 31 runs in his past 32 ⅓ innings (8.63 ERA).

"That was the most frustrating part of it: Stuff feels good, putting the ball where you want to and they're doing damage," Ryan said. "That's never a fun combination."

Ryan labored through a 27-pitch first inning — which included a 10-pitch walk — where he faced only five batters. He fell behind far too often, throwing a first-pitch strike to 12 of 23 batters. It took him 38 offspeed pitches, sliders and splitters, before he elicited his first whiff with one of them.

During the second inning, Ryan surrendered a homer on a low splitter (Tyler O'Neill), a belt-high fastball (Jordan Walker) and a splitter over the heart of the plate (Lars Nootbar). The Cardinals opened the third with back-to-back hits before Burleson blasted a three-run homer to right field on an elevated fastball.

As Burleson completed his home run trot, Ryan received a new ball from home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson and shook his head as he walked to the back of the mound.

"For myself, it's frustrating, because I want to help him to get through it," catcher Christian Vázquez said. "It's hard when you see a lot of foul balls and you don't know what to call."

Ryan gave up nine hits and seven runs in four innings, the fourth time in his past seven starts he's failed to complete five innings. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli didn't rule out giving Ryan extra time between his next start.

"He probably has to get more consistent with his offspeed pitches and make them a more consistent part of the arsenal, both in usage and the way he's executing those pitches," Baldelli said.

It was an all-around ugly start for the Twins. They trailed by seven runs after recording only seven outs to a last-place team. They pulled a starter, Carlos Correa, for rest during the fifth inning. Michael A. Taylor ended Dakota Hudson's no-hitter when he singled with one out in the sixth inning.

Two pitches after their first hit, Willi Castro grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Matt Wallner ended the Twins' shutout with a three-run homer to center field in the seventh inning, a 431-foot blast after the previous two batters reached on a two-out walk and a hit by pitch. It was Wallner's fifth homer in his past seven games.

"You know you're going to have bad ones," Ryan said after his ERA rose to 4.43. "You never really expect it to go on this long."