ATLANTA — A pair of baseballs, authenticated and stored in display boxes, sat atop Rocco Baldelli’s desk Friday after the Twins’ shocking 6-4 loss to the Braves at Truist Park. Luke Keaschall had poked one of those balls into right field for his first big-league hit in his first big-league at-bat; he had lined the other into the left-field corner two innings later, his first extra-base hit in the majors.
They’ll still be there Saturday.
Baldelli normally presents those keepsakes to rookies in a clubhouse ritual, with the entire Twins roster present to cheer — but only after a victory. And nobody in that clubhouse was in the mood to cheer after this loss.
“It’s tough. It’s tough in there right now,” starter Chris Paddack said after giving up only one run over five mostly dominant innings. “It’s a tough one for us because we’re so close to figuring some things out as a team.”
The most important thing they have to figure out is one of the most surprising: What’s the matter with Griffin Jax? The normally untouchable righthander let a three-run lead to disappear Wednesday against the Mets, then did it again in the very next game, enabling the Braves to score four times during their five-run eighth-inning rally.
“I need to work on some things. I’m not feeling like myself right now. It [hurts] to take my team out of the game,” Jax said after his early-season ERA soared to 11.25, with three blown saves and two losses in nine appearances. “But I’ve kind of got an idea of what I need to focus on, so that’s a little bit encouraging. We’ll get a good start on it tomorrow.”
It wasn’t all Jax’s fault, of course. The Twins’ newfound habit of playing shaky defense marred their night, too, and Cole Sands not only allowed three inherited runners to score but gave up one of his own on two hits.
The breakdowns ended the Twins’ two-game winning streak and dropped them to 7-13 — their same 20-game record as a year ago, before they won their next 12 games — while allowing the 6-13 Braves to halt a two-game slide of their own.
