Written By Tom Schreier
Photo Credit: Brian Curski
Ricky Nolasco went 7.2 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, but the Minnesota Twins left 10 men on base and dropped to 16-38 on the season.
“It was a good outing for sure. He got real deep into the game,” said manager Paul Molitor.
“We talked about last start, when he gets onto a roll, he can get some quick outs, kept the pitch count down. Other than the Longoria home run in the first inning, I thought he made a lot of quality pitches throughout the whole game.”
Nolasco gave up three runs, two earned, on the night.
With one out in the eighth inning he gave up a single to Taylor Motter, who then advanced on a fielding error by rookie Max Kepler in right field that allowed Motter to reach third.
Brandon Guyer flew out to center, leaving Molitor with an option. He could have gone to lefty Fernando Abad, who has held left-handed hitters to a .083/.115/.125 line this season, to face Brad Miller — a left-handed hitter.
“Well you’ve got Abad and then you got [Steve] Pearce over there,” said Molitor. “You got some people that you’re considering that they might make a change for.”
Instead he opted to stick with Nolasco, who gave up an RBI single that put the Rays up 3-2. Brandon Kintzler got Minnesota out of the inning, but gave up a home run to Logan Morrison in the ninth.
“The way the inning had gone, we missed the first play on a tough play, and then he threw some good pitches to get to where he had a chance to get out of the inning,” said Molitor. “And then the guy just got a breaking ball and he got it through the 3-hole.”
Kepler had an opportunity to redeem himself in the bottom of the eighth, but struck out on three pitches with two outs and the bases loaded.
“I don’t think so,” Molitor said when asked if Kepler took the misplay in the field to his at-bat in the eighth. “A young guy, it’s a good chance to get a big hit late in the game. It’s just something that an experienced [player] … you can get sped up.
“First pitch he had a good swing, the fastball, he might have got beat just by a tick. And subconsciously you’re thinking you gotta be a little quicker, and then you don’t get the same pitch, and you don’t recognize it and you expand the zone.”
To leave things on a high note, Byron Buxton flashed his 80 speed with a triple in the third inning.
“I think that there was not much doubt that he was gonna be headed for three there, and the ball stuck out there, which kind of sealed the deal,” said Molitor.
“But I think he was going either way.”