MINNEAPOLIS -- One common thread among the three electric starts turned in by Twins right-hander Jose Berrios since getting called up from Triple-A Rochester on May 13, was his ability to get ahead of hitters and locate his pitches for strikes.
Berrios had improved his first-pitch strike rate from last year's 55.2 percent to 65.8 percent, while throwing 65.9 percent of his pitches for strikes, making him look like a different pitcher than in 2016, when he posted an 8.02 ERA in 14 starts as a rookie.
But the 23-year-old's command troubles came back at an inopportune time for the Twins on Tuesday, as they were coming off their two roughest losses of the year when Berrios allowed a season-high four runs on five hits and four walks over five innings in a 7-2 loss to the Astros.