Ill-timed defense bites Twins in 4-3 loss to Cleveland

CLEVELAND – A four-pitch walk started the worst inning of Sonny Gray's season, and a three-ball walk essentially ended it. In between, things got so messy, Rocco Baldelli chose not to stick around to see it.

Gray, who gave up three total runs in his first six starts of the season, matched that total in a strange fourth inning Saturday, and the Guardians went on to even the series with a 4-3 victory over the Twins at Progressive Field.

"The way I see it, three walks, three runs," Gray said to summarize his only difficult inning of the game, and practically his entire season. "It was just one inning of walks and them putting the ball just out of the reach of where we were. Yeah, that was it."

Actually, some of the balls were within reach — they just weren't converted into outs. Jose Miranda had a night as troublesome as Gray's, mishandling three hard-hit grounders to third base.

"I've been working on my first step, working on having better angles on the ball. But today was a weird one," Miranda said. "I don't think I've had a lefty ground ball this year. They're always different than [grounders from] righties. But you know, I've got to learn from this and keep improving."

Even with all the mistakes, the Twins rallied to tie the score. Max Kepler and Carlos Correa homered their team out of that three-run deficit, but Steven Kwan's first home run of the season, off just-recalled reliever Jorge Alcala, provided the decisive run in the seventh inning.

Alcala "challenged him in the zone with nobody on base against their leadoff hitter, who is a good player. But he challenged him, and he should," Baldelli said of Kwan's surprising blast, which traveled 402 feet to straightaway center. "You're going to bet on your guy with good stuff to go at a hitter, throw an offspeed pitch in the zone and take your chances."

But Gray's rough inning was the part the Twins never saw coming. The righthander, who entered the game with an AL-best 0.77 ERA, walked Amed Rosario on four pitches, and first baseman Donovan Solano couldn't glove José Ramirez's sharp grounder, allowing him to reach.

Then came the weirdest play: Josh Naylor hit a bouncer to Miranda, who was shifted over toward shortstop. He fell as he tried to field it, then rolled over on his back as the ball rolled toward the infield grass.

As Rosario scored, Ramirez rounded second base and, seeing third base uncovered, kept running. Correa retrieved the ball and shoveled it to Miranda, who tried to make a tag while on the run. But Ramirez leaned away from the tag and reached third base safely.

"I thought I was going to get him, but he made a good move and ended up being safe," Miranda said.

Baldelli came out to argue that Ramirez had run out of the baseline to avoid the tag and should be called out. When he attempted to demonstrate, third base umpire Dan Iassogna ejected him, Baldelli's second ejection of the season.

"I guess if that's his opinion, there's not a lot more to talk about," Baldelli said afterward. "Probably not a play I'm going to get overturned. I've looked at it. Honestly, it's a judgment call by the umpire and I think I've seen that play get called both ways."

Josh Bell followed by lining a single to left, scoring Ramirez. Gray retired two of the next three hitters, but he then walked Gabriel Arias to load the bases.

Then, another mistake. Gray put Myles Straw at an advantage by holding the ball too long before throwing his first pitch, a pitch-clock violation that made the count 1-0. Three balls later, and Gray forced in the third run with a walk.

"I wasn't aware of the clock, to be honest with you. I never looked at it," Gray said. "I just kind of [paused to] take a breath and get back on the mound."