With the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning of Sunday afternoon’s game at Target Field, Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy had a small margin for error.
He had already yanked pitches too close to Twins third baseman Ehire Adrianza and lost him on a five-pitch walk. He had fumbled around enough. He needed to overwhelm rookie catcher Jake Cave, a left-handed batter, to strand the three runners and retain a lead granted him by Lucas Duda’s two-run homer in the first inning.
The task didn’t seem gargantuan.
But as Duffy peppered the strike zone with a mix of 95 mph fastballs and breaking balls, home plate umpire Bill Miller seemed unimpressed.