Orioles 4, Twins 3: Mark Reynolds recorded the go-ahead two-run single in the top of the eighth inning as visiting Baltimore salvaged a split of the four-game series.
Chris Davis belted a solo homer and came around to score on third baseman Trevor Plouffe's throwing error in the seventh inning for the Orioles, who have won two in a row after dropping six of their previous seven.
With runners on second and third, Reynolds' single to center momentarily confused outfielder Denard Span, who took a step back before coming in on the ball. Matt Wieters and Wilson Betemit came around to score to give Baltimore a 4-3 lead.
The late offense proved just enough for Wei-Yin Chen (8-5), who picked up the win after allowing three runs on six hits in seven innings.
Pedro Strop, the Orioles' third pitcher in the eighth inning, retired all three batters he faced to strand runners at the corners. Jim Johnson retired the side in the ninth for his 28th save, tying him with Atlanta's Craig Kimbrel for tops in the majors.
Plouffe extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games with an RBI double. Josh Willingham had a run-scoring single in the first inning and Alexi Casilla added a sacrifice fly in the fourth for the Twins, who have dropped seven of their last nine.
Alex Burnett (3-3) allowed two runs in one-third of an inning to take the loss.GAME NOTEBOOK: ... Baltimore will continue its eight-game road trip on Friday when it opens a four-game series at Cleveland. ... Minnesota will open a seven-game road trip on Friday with three games in Kansas City. ... Plouffe had driven in just two runs over his previous 11 games.
Baltimore | Minnesota | |
Wei-Yin Chen | Player | Cole De Vries |
Win | W/L | No Decision |
7.0 | IP | 6.0 |
5 | Strikeouts | 5 |
6 | Hits | 5 |
3.86 | ERA | 1.50 |
Baltimore | Minnesota | |
Mark Reynolds | Player | Justin Morneau |
2 | Hits | 2 |
2 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 2 |
.500 | Avg | .500 |