A disappointing walkoff
Seven-run comeback goes for naught as Peacock gives up Kepler’s second homer
MINNEAPOLIS — Lance McCullers Jr. shuffled his feet and departed the field, the hanging curveball responsible for his exit now more than 400 feet away, a souvenir for the few fans who sparsely populated a rightfield plaza on another chilly Minneapolis afternoon.
The sun appeared Wednesday for the first time in three days. Max Kepler basked in it to admire his work. Behind 2-1 to the Twins outfielder, McCullers offered one of his patented breaking balls. It did not break, a recurring problem in this ruinous fourth inning.
Kepler obliterated it. The two-run homer exited his bat at 105.3 mph. It sailed well to the left of the right-field foul pole. Kepler watched and began the slow trot up the first-base line that concluded McCullers’ implosion.
“That’s not his norm,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “He’s usually executing breaking balls and gets out, kind of scrambles his way out of innings when he gets in trouble.”
Two hours later, Kepler received another hanging off-speed pitch. Again he decimated it. Again it flew high, with little doubt where it would land. Again, that slow gallop up the first-base line began.
This one concluded a game and any lingering hope of another memorable resurgence.
Kepler’s second home run walked
off the Astros 9-8 in a game they trailed by seven after McCullers’ miserable fourth inning and fought to tie in the top of the ninth before this abrupt ending.
“Weird game all the way around,” Hinch said. “And for them to win on one big swing is frustrating.”
There was no Minneapolis miracle, no recreation of last season’s Memorial Day matinee in this ballpark. The Astros scored 11 eighth-inning runs that May day, stunning the homestanding Twins and rendering their subpar starting pitching moot.
“When we got down 8-1, I told A.J. in the dugout, ‘Something about this field — I don’t think we’re ever out of it,’ ” third baseman Alex Bregman said.
In the six games preceding this one, the Astros produced a .199 batting average. The top of their order was paltry. Leadoff hitter George Springer was 3-for-24, Bregman 1for-21 and cleanup man Carlos Correa 4-for-20 in that span.
None in the clubhouse opted to panic. The season is long and the hitters too proven for such prolonged misery to be maintained. Hinch proclaimed Tuesday evening the bats would get “plenty hot.”
Wednesday, they warmed. The Astros collected 13 hits. Bregman accrued the first four-hit game of his young career. Correa had two singles and a sacrifice fly. The lineup chased Twins starter Kyle Gibson in the fifth inning, stringing six straight hits against him and scoring four runs.
Gibson left ineligible for the win, mind-boggling given he entered with an 8-1 advantage McCullers afforded him one half-inning earlier.
“It’s just what our team is all about,” Bregman said. “We’re going to keep fighting and competing every single pitch.”
Fifty-nine pitches brought McCullers to the fourth inning. He allowed a baserunner in each of the preceding three. Twice, a man reached third. He did not score
The two hits on his line were borderline unfortunate — Byron Buxton’s leadoff second-inning double careened off Bregman’s glove and into short left field — but the three walks were lamentable.
Still, McCullers skirted trouble. Three strikeouts on three curveballs stranded Buxton at third base in the second. Walks lead to trouble
McCullers’ fourth inning matched none of the three preceding it. He threw 36 pitches. The first eight were balls, a foreboding signal.
“It’s unacceptable to walk two guys like that,” McCullers said.
One of the two outs he managed was against Jason Castro, the former Astro who waved at three curveballs following the two leadoff walks.
The next six men reached. Eddie Rosario hit a bases-clearing triple that left the bat at 105.6 mph. Logan Morrison followed with a single that was hit at 107.3 mph, scoring another run. Both were on two-strike curveballs.
Only eight of McCullers’ 49 curveballs were swung upon and missed. His ERA swelled to 7.71.
“The inning got away from me,” McCullers said. “I had some big pitches to make, especially to Rosario with two strikes and made a bad pitch. He hit a triple. Made a bad pitch to Kepler, and he hit the home run.” McCullers wasn’t alone. Peacock entered in the eighth with the Astros down two. He received one day off after back-to-back outings on Sunday and Monday. Twenty-nine pitches were required to complete those.
“He didn’t execute as much as he normally does,” Hinch said. “He doesn’t usually bounce balls; he bounced a few balls. There were a few balls sprayed around. I know we leaned on him quite a bit this week, but credit to Kepler.” ‘Just hung it’
Peacock’s eighth inning was spotless. The Astros tied the score in the ninth on a throwing error by second baseman Brian Dozier, who sailed the back end of a potential game-ending double-play ball to the left of closer Fernando Rodney, who had scurried to cover first. The 41-year-old pitcher could not contort his body to corral it. Two runs scored while the ball rolled into the Twins’ dugout. Briefly, there was hope.
Back went Peacock. Kepler approached with two outs. The count ran full.
“Just hung it,” Peacock said. “I threw a couple good ones. I felt good out there. Just made one mistake and paid for it.”
Added McCullers: “I feel bad that the bullpen had to wear that.”