7/6 GAME NOTES: Twins Put Up Crooked Number in Third, Hold Tight Rest of the Way in 6-4 Win over Orioles
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A six-spot in the third inning gave the Minnesota Twins all the offense they needed -- or would get -- while Jose Berrios and three relievers combined to hold the Baltimore Orioles offense at bay in a 6-4 win at Target Field on a balmy Thursday night.
A poorly-conceived throw from Orioles first baseman Trey Mancini with one out in the third torpedoed much of the value he provided with the bat on a night where he hit a pair of doubles and scored a pair of runs. His throw extended the inning, but also meant that all six runs allowed by Orioles starter Dylan Bundy were earned, pushing his ERA up to 4.33 by the time he hit the showers.
Just over a month ago, Bundy’s ERA resided under 3.00. In fact, after facing the Twins and holding them to just two earned runs over seven innings on May 23, Bundy’s ERA checked in at 2.92. In three of Bundy’s last four starts, he’s allowed at least five earned runs as he appears to be hitting a bit of a wall as the midseason break creeps up. MASN Sports’ Roch Kubatko told Zone Coverage prior to Thursday’s game that Bundy won’t throw at all during the break, and will slot in the back of the O’s rotation to give him some added rest, considering he threw just over 100 innings last season.
Berrios was merely adequate for the Twins on the night, as he completed the bare minimum tasks to be awarded a quality start. He didn’t get a ton of help from his friends, as Miguel Sano clanged an easy throw at first base from third baseman Eduardo Escobar, and that run came around to score when Mark Trumbo bashed a 3-0 pitch from Berrios onto the berm just over the fence in center.
“I give Jose a lot of credit,” said manager Paul Molitor. “We talk about maturing at this level. We all saw how he struggled with his curveball command in particular compared to what we have seen. But he fought through it. We had a misplay and a 3-0 homer, and we dug a bit of a hole.”
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