Twins pitchers gather to discuss the carnage of June and the solution for it

Beaten in 10 of their previous 11 games, Twins pitchers met Tuesday after an 11-2 home loss to Seattle the night before, at the urging of pitching coach Pete Maki.

Among those who spoke honestly was starter Chris Paddack.

“Pitchers right now, we’re the ones to blame, including myself,” Paddack said about the meeting. “It’s just tough. A lot of crooked numbers the last couple weeks, but it’s going to change.”

In their past 15 games, Twins pitchers have allowed 17 runs once, 16 twice, 11 once, 10 once and nine twice.

“We were the best pitching staff in May,” Paddack said. “Nothing’s changed. The BABIP is through the roof. Balls in play, the average is just not going our way. Balls up the middle finding holes. We have to continue to trust each. Believe in one another and it’s all going to turn around. It’s just a matter of time.”

Opposing batters had a .325 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) entering Wednesday’s game against Seattle. They were at .287 in that stat, which can indicate whether batters are getting lucky, in the season’s first two months.

“Paddack I appreciate,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He had some words. They were emotional and they were positive and they were looking forward on ways we need to be. He spoke from the heart, and I loved it. The meeting really stemmed from the following idea: There are things you can control and you should attack and there are things you have less control over.

“For pitchers, be good strike-throwers. For a long period of time this year, we were best in baseball strikeouts to walks. We did not walk many batters at all. Recently it’s not something we’ve done well.”

Paddack said the pitchers met to support each other and correct what’s gone wrong. The Twins then lost 6-5 to the Mariners on Tuesday night.

“That’s what makes this game,” Paddack said. “That’s why we wake up in the morning and love what we do, because we don’t know what’s to come. We always have something to fix and work on.”

Twins starter Joe Ryan made his fifth career start against Seattle on Wednesday night at Target Field. He entered the game 0-3 with a 5.50 ERA against a Mariners team that hits four-seam fastballs. That’s Ryan’s main pitch. Baldelli said Ryan has options.

“Joe’s four-seamer always is going to be a big part of his repertoire and his usage in a game,” Baldelli said. “It’s a pitch he can’t ever totally go away from, and I would never want him to. He knows what to do with that pitch and how to use it. But he’s also found really nice ways to implement the sweep and the split and the sinker to mix up his fastball usage and get guys off the four-seamer.”

Ryan pitched six scoreless innings in the Twins’ 2-0 victory, allowing three hits with no walks and striking out eight.

After holding another meeting, this one Tuesday on baserunning, Baldelli still was talking Wednesday about designated hitter Trevor Larnach’s hustle double Tuesday. He advanced with his team trailing by four runs in the fourth inning and started an inning that tied the game.

“It’s one thing to talk about before the game and encourage aggressive play,” Baldelli said. “It’s another thing to watch a guy do it right in your face, right in the middle of the field, and get everyone going. No surprise positive things start happening when you start running the bases like that. It doesn’t have to be a Buck [Byron Buxton] or [Harrison] Bader that’s doing it.”

The St. Paul Saints’ game against the Louisville Bats at CHS Field was postponed because of rain Wednesday and will be made up as part of a doubleheader starting at 4:07 p.m. on Saturday. It was the 13th rainout for the Saints this season.