The third inning decided this one. Minnesota and Baltimore traded runs all night in a game that never let either side settle, but the Twins' four-run third proved to be the difference in a 7-5 win at Target Field.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAL | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| MIN | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 14 | 0 |
Alan Roden was at the center of it. He went 3-for-3 with a walk, two doubles and an RBI, and his double down the right-field line in the third scored Brooks Lee and put Minnesota ahead for good. Royce Lewis added two doubles of his own, and Victor Caratini, Kody Clemens and Trevor Larnach all drove in runs as part of a 14-hit night for the Twins.
Baltimore actually led twice. Jackson Holliday's fielder's-choice grounder scored Gunnar Henderson in the first inning to make it 1-0, and Dylan Beavers turned the game around again in the third with a three-run homer to right field that scored Pete Alonso and Tyler O'Neill and put the Orioles up 4-1. But Minnesota answered immediately in the bottom of the third. Kody Clemens singled home Royce Lewis, Luke Keaschall's sacrifice fly brought in Josh Bell, Victor Caratini's single tied it at 4-4 scoring Kody Clemens, and then Roden's double gave the Twins a lead they would not relinquish. Minnesota tacked on two more in the fifth, as Trevor Larnach's groundout scored Caratini and Royce Lewis doubled home Alan Roden.
Shane Baz did not survive the damage, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits over 3.0 innings with 2 strikeouts in the loss. Leody Taveras added a solo homer to right in the ninth for Baltimore, but it only trimmed the final margin. Zebby Matthews worked 5.0 innings for Minnesota, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits with 4 strikeouts to pick up the win, and the Twins' bullpen covered the final four innings, allowing just 1 run the rest of the way. Yoendrys Gomez closed it out for the save.
The result snapped Baltimore's momentum, dropping the Orioles to 58-63, while Minnesota improved to 60-62 and has now won its last game after a rough stretch. Baz's ERA sits at 4.00 following the outing, while Matthews improved to 6-8 with a 5.34 ERA.