Twins’ Batters Rain on Farrell’s Parade : Baseball: Angel pitcher follows his best outing with his worst, giving up six runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings.
ANAHEIM — Quick, call the groundskeepers. There are divots all over Anaheim Stadium.
Hurry, call the repairman. The Minnesota Twins left the place dented up, too.
In a good old-fashioned Midwestern hailstorm of a baseball game, the Twins pounded out 22 hits and had Angel starter John Farrell running for cover long before the finish of their 13-3 demolition of the Angels Monday night.
Baseballs flew out of the sky all evening, coming at Angel outfielders from every conceivable angle. And it often looked as if the Twins picked up three-irons instead of bats as they collected 19 singles.
But singles, doubles, what did it matter to Farrell? Coming off of his longest outing of the season Wednesday in New York when he went 7 1/3 innings, Farrell turned in his shortest Monday. He was sent to the showers after only 3 2/3 innings, having allowed six runs and 11 hits.
“Once you let go of the ball, there’s not a whole lot of control you have after that,†Farrell said.
The end for Farrell came when seven consecutive Twins reached base in a six-run fourth.
In fairness to Farrell, a few nights such as these are to be expected. He missed the past two seasons because of elbow surgery and, although he has had a few good outings this season, there have been some stormy ones, too. It’s part of the process.
“You don’t know what every individual’s process is,†Farrell said. “If this is to be a part of it, then I guess that’s the way it is. I felt as good as I did in New York, it’s just that they hit a couple of pitches and then everything they hit seemed to get through the infield.â€
Farrell refused to blame the two-year layoff for his inconsistencies.
“I don’t consider my situation any kind of excuse for it,†he said. “I’m out there pitching with what I’ve got. As far as my arm condition, everything felt fine tonight.â€
His performance brought to mind the old story about the guy who asks the catcher what kind of stuff the pitcher has.
“I don’t know,†the catcher replies. “I haven’t caught a pitch all day.â€
With two out in the fourth, the Twins suddenly began reading Farrell as easily as a dime-store novel.
Mike Pagliarulo drilled a single to center. Pat Meares lined another to left. Gene Larkin bounced another into right. Chuck Knoblauch knocked still another into center.
Farrell then walked Kent Hrbek but the Twins quickly fell back into routine--Dave Winfield smacked a single to left and Brian Harper followed with a shot through the pitcher’s box into center.
Farrell said the turning point was when Meares singled on a full count.
“I second-guessed myself on the pitch to Meares,†Farrell said. “It was a 3-and-2 fastball and he went with it and got a base hit. But there were only runners on first and second and two outs.
“Then, to Larkin, I got a pitch up in the zone and he fought it off to right field. Other than that, my approach was to stay aggressive, and they got the better of it tonight.â€
After nine batters, Angel Manager Buck Rodgers visited the mound on a mercy mission.
“He probably could have gone into the sixth with the stuff he had tonight,†Rodgers said. “But he couldn’t close them out, and it just snowballed.â€
Farrell struggled to get out of the first, stranding runners at first and second.
He sweated through the second, stranding runners on second and third.
He was able to escape the third with relative ease, stranding only one runner.
Little did he know that those would be his highlights Monday.
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