The brooms were out, and the dust pans were ready, as the Baltimore Orioles, winners of three straight, were looking to sweep the Minnesota Twins in their first meeting of the season.
From bashing home runs to striking out hitters, the Birds showed how dominating they can be, even when starter Tyler Wells was placed on the 15-day injured list and having to scramble for a replacement.
The Orioles, as of this writing, moved into a tie for first place in the AL East. Baltimore struck out 30 batters during the series and smashed at least three home runs for the fifth straight game, the second longest streak since 1900 behind the 1987 Orioles.
As Orioles Magic filled the air, the Birds now have a four-game winning streak heading into their off day. Let’s check out how the series unfolded.
Game 1: O’s 7, Twins 4
Cole Irvin took the mound for the Birds in the series opener, and though he was effective, he lasted just 4.2 innings and did not qualify for the decision.
Irvin allowed two earned runs on six hits while striking out four before giving way to the bullpen. He also received a spectacular assist from his Superman center fielder.
The resurgent Dillon Tate (W, 1-0) picked up the win, pacing the bullpen that allowed four runs over 4.1 innings of work. Craig Kimbrel (S, 4) closed out the game and the victory for the Orioles.
The offense was led by Jordan Westburg’s three hits and two RBIs. Ryan O’Hearn (3), Gunnar Henderson (4) and Cedric Mullins (4), homered, and Mullins drove in three runs for the game.
The offense scored seven runs while collecting 12 total hits. Westberg, Henderson, O’Hearn, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle all had multi-hit games for the offense.
Game 2: O’s 11, Twins 3
The Orioles might have signed Corbin Burnes to be the frontline starter, but it’s Grayson Rodriguez who is turning into the young ace of this O’s starting staff.
The flame-throwing Rodriguez would pitch six innings, giving up four hits and striking out six while allowing just two runs. Rodriguez (W, 3-0) picked up his third victory in four games. For comparison, Rodriguez needed 15 games to collect his third win last season.
Offensively, Henderson led the charge, hitting his fifth home run while collecting three hits and driving in three for the game.
Westburg (4) and O’Hearn (4) both hit two-run home runs, as six players (Henderson, O’Hearn, Westburg, Anthony Santander, Colton Cowser and James McCann) had multi-hit games.
The offense pounded out 15 total hits, picked up two walks and a hit batter en route to scoring 11 runs on the day. It was their third straight win and 11th victory of the season.
Game 3: O’s 4, Twins 2
With Tyler Wells placed on the 15-day IL, the Orioles recalled 34-year-old Albert Suárez to make the series finale start.
Suárez would reward the Orioles with 5.2 innings of work, pitching a three-hit shutout while striking out four in his first big league appearance in seven years.
Danny Coulombe (H, 1) and Jacob Webb (BS, 1) would allow the two runs that would tie the game, but Keegan Akin, Yennier Canó and Craig Kimbrel (S, 5) would shut down Minnesota the rest of the way.
The offense started the game with a lead-off home run from the red hot Henderson, his sixth of the year. He led the offense as one of two players, alongside Mountcastle, with two hits for the game.
Orioles Magic took over, as Anthony Santander would smash his fourth home run in the seventh to tie the game at two a piece.
Following a ninth-inning single from Mountcastle, Mullins stepped to the box and smacked the game-winning two-run home run to complete the come-from-behind victory, the sweep and gave the Birds a four-game winning streak.
The Birds picked up their 12th victory and second sweep of the season as they improved to 4-2 in series this season and have now gone 97 regular season series without being swept.
BATTERY ❌-FACTOR
The Orioles now have eight comeback victories on the season and have struggled to jump out quickly against opposing team’s starters. It’s almost as if the Birds are reading these articles because, once again, they have proven The Battery right.
The Orioles scored early and often in the first two games of the series, and though they had another comeback victory in the series finale, they did score first and were ahead until the seventh inning.
In games one and two, the Birds combined to score 15 runs (13 earned) in 10.1 innings against the Minnesota starters, both only getting through five innings.
Our BATTERY ❌-FACTOR was spot on once again and continues to fly as high as the Birds do.
The Orioles are off Thursday before traveling for a weekend series against the Kanas City Royals. The Birds took two of three from KC in Baltimore just a week or so ago.
The Royals are 8-2 in their last 10 and have the same record as the Birds at 12-6 on the season.
Will the Birds continue to fly high, or will the Royals clip their wings? It all starts Friday at 7:40 p.m. EST from Kauffman Stadium.
What are your thoughts on this series sweep of Minnesota? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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