Maeda strikes out 7 in return, but Twins fall

Having been sidelined with a right adductor strain since May 22, Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda made his return to the mound on Monday night at T-Mobile Park.

Despite being limited to 76 pitches over four innings, Maeda showed signs of the high-caliber arm he's had in the past. He struck out seven and allowed one run on three hits and three walks in a 4-3 loss to the Mariners.

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Command was an issue for Maeda in his first outing back. He threw 33 pitches in the first inning, which included three consecutive one-out walks. But he escaped the jam unscathed, getting Dylan Moore to pop out and striking out Jake Bauers swinging on a 2-2 splitter.

“I'm happy to be back from the IL,” Maeda said through an interpreter. “The pitch count went up. That's something that I should be able to fix next outing. But overall, all my pitches were there today. I think it was great pitching in general.”

Maeda struck out the side in the second. His lone run allowed came on a Jake Fraley RBI single in the third, and Maeda set down the Mariners in order in the fourth. He showed improved velocity on his pitches, after his splitter and slider were both down in his last outing on May 22.

“All my pitches were better than [before] going on the IL, especially the slider, changeup [and] four-seamer was stronger, for sure,” Maeda said.

The Twins' plan for Maeda was for him to throw around 75-80 pitches, depending on the game flow. Manager Rocco Baldelli noted that Maeda looked like the reliable starter he was throughout 2020 and early in '21.

“Kenta settled in pretty nicely,” Baldelli said. “I think the best part of his outing was the latter part of his outing. He looked good. I think when he kind of began out there, he looked like he was still finding himself and when [pitching coach Wes Johnson] chatted with him, he basically said he felt really good. He felt strong, maybe even too much so. He found himself."

After Maeda's exit, the Twins' bullpen couldn't preserve an early lead. Right-hander Luke Farrell allowed two runs in the fifth, and righty Hansel Robles gave up a tiebreaking home run to Jake Bauers in the eighth that sent Minnesota to its ninth loss in 13 games.

However, Baldelli said the return of Maeda gives the team one of its biggest rotation pieces back, which should help heading into the second half of June as the Twins look to keep getting healthier.

“Kenta is a key cog here, and his starts are something that our group looks forward to,” Baldelli said. “His starts are very important to us getting where we want to be as a team. He proved what he was capable of last year, coming over and leading us in a lot of ways.

“He's a guy that can pitch you to a win. I don't want to say by himself, but he's a guy that can really shut down an offense. And seeing him back and feeling good and feeling strong and looking like himself is a great thing for us going forward.”