Berrios struggles with command in debut, Twins lose 6-5

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Jose Berrios has rocketed up the Minnesota Twins farm system with uncommon speed, using an overpowering fastball and a knee-buckling breaking ball to dominate the minor leagues.

In his highly anticipated big league debut, he looked like the nervous 21-year-old he is, and he vowed after to be better the next time around.

Berrios gave up five runs and six hits with five strikeouts in four innings of Minnesota's 6-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night.

"I'm ready to do it again," the Puerto Rican right-hander said. "And next time will be better."

Francisco Lindor drove in three runs, Carlos Santana had three hits and the Indians avoided losing to the Twins on a walk-off hit for the third consecutive night. Cody Allen picked up his seventh save in seven tries after giving up a game-winning hit to Miguel Sano in the ninth inning on Tuesday night.

Danny Santana had three hits and Byung Ho Park hit his fifth home run of the season for the Twins, who couldn't get the tying run in from second base in the ninth inning after Brian Dozier struck out and Joe Mauer flied out to end it.

"Jose was probably a little amped up," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "I don't think we saw him at his best. He competed fairly well. Command wasn't particularly sharp."

The start of the game was delayed 35 minutes by rain, but the Twins staked Berrios to a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Berrios had his flashes, blowing away Jason Kipnis with a 95 mph fastball in the first inning and hitting 97 on the radar gun early in his outing. He also mixed in a superb breaking ball, but the Indians weren't intimidated.

Lindor had a two-run double in the third inning and Kipnis chased him from the game with an RBI-double in Cleveland's four-run fifth inning.

"That kid's got a really good arm and a really good future," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "But he made some mistakes over the middle of the plate that fortunately we took advantage of, because that's a hard game to win."

Zach McAllister was the victim of one of Minnesota's walk-off wins when he gave up a towering home run to Oswaldo Arcia in the ninth inning on Monday. But he came through in a huge spot for the Indians on Wednesday night, striking out Park with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning.

SANO'S GLOVE

Sano was moved from his natural third base to right field this season to get his bat in the lineup every day and accommodate veteran Trevor Plouffe, who has been entrenched as the team's third baseman for several years. Sano has struggled to get acclimated to the outfield and has made no secret of his fondness for third base.

He was back there on Wednesday with Plouffe on the DL, and he made two terrific plays, a diving stop and throw out of Lindor in the first inning and a bare-handed scoop and fired to get Marlon Byrd in the eighth.

PRINCE TRIBUTE

Both teams paid tribute to Minneapolis music icon Prince, who died last week, with several gestures in the series opener on Monday, including wearing purple wristbands in the game.

Court Berry-Tripp and Dustin Morse, media relations representatives for the Indians and Twins, got every player who played in the game to sign the lineup card in purple. The teams are sending the lineup card, wristbands worn by Mauer and Michael Brantley and signed pictures of the two players wearing the bands in the game, to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Indians: OF Lonnie Chisenhall was given the day off because of a stiff neck, but Francona didn't believe it was anything serious.

Twins: Plouffe (intercostal strain) will spend two days in Class-A Fort Myers on Saturday and Sunday to get some at-bats before joining the Twins in Houston. He is eligible to come off the DL on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

Indians: Off on Thursday. RHP Corey Kluber (1-3, 4.67) will open a series in Philadelphia on Friday. He is coming off of a 10-strikeout game in his last outing.

Twins: Off on Thursday. RHP Phil Hughes (1-3, 3.91) will take the mound to open a three-game series against Detroit on Friday.