Woods Richardson allows 1 hit in 6 shutout innings with 8 strikeouts as Twins beat Mariners 3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Simeon Woods Richardson pitched six shutout innings of one-hit ball and the Minnesota Twins scored twice in the seventh to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-1 on Monday night in the opener of their four-game series.
Minnesota rebounded quickly after its 12-game winning streak was snapped Sunday with a 9-2 loss to Boston.
Woods Richardson struck out a career-high eight and walked just one in his fifth major league start. He whiffed five of his first six batters and had seven strikeouts through three innings, outpitching Mariners All-Star Luis Castillo. The only hit Woods Richardson permitted was a leadoff single by Mitch Garver in the third.
“He’s been pitching really well. Today, he was phenomenal,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It’s just a pretty incredible start, and he’s matching up against one of the best pitchers in the game. That can affect people sometimes, when you’re watching the other guy on the other side of the field who does it all a lot and is putting up zeros, too. It didn’t put him off one bit.”