Orioles Rock Twins, Clinch Fourth Seed in AL- Sport Relay

Orioles Twins action from Friday, September 27, 2024

Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

September 27, 2024

Orioles 7, Twins 2

The Baltimore Orioles have clinched home-field advantage for the Wild Card Round after a 7–2 victory over the Minnesota Twins Friday at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Twins loss eliminates them from playoff contention and puts the Kansas City Royals, losers in Atlanta Friday night, into the final AL playoff spot. Earlier Friday evening, the Detroit Tigers clinched the second AL Wild Card spot with a 4–1 victory over the woeful Chicago White Sox.

Orioles – Twins Game Summary

The Orioles jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the top of the second on a no-doubt two-run homer to right field by designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn. Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez pitched a scoreless third, fourth, and fifth before getting into a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the top of the sixth. Reliever Caleb Thielbar pitched the Twins out of the inning by getting Gunnar Henderson to ground into a side-retiring force play at second.

Orioles first baseman Colton Cowser extended the lead to 3–0 with a towering solo home run down the right-field line off Thielbar in the top of the seventh. The Orioles made it 7–0 with four runs in the top of the eighth, all off Twins reliever Kody Funderburk. A bases-loaded Ramon Urias single plated the fourth run, and the fifth run scored when Henderson followed with a sacrifice fly to center. Jordan Westburg, up next, made it 6–0 when a comebacker deflected off Funderburk, whose only play was to first as the run scored from third. Anthony Santander followed with a single to center, scoring Urias from second for the Orioles’ seventh and final run.

The Twins scored two consolation runs in the bottom of the ninth off Seranthony Dominguez on a two-run single to right by Carlos Santana to complete the scoring.

What Went Right for the Twins

Byron Buxton went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored.

Santana went 1-for-4, with his ninth inning single giving the Twins their only RBI of the night.

Lopez allowed two runs, both earned, on six hits across 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out eight, pitching to within one out of a Quality Start.

What Went Wrong for the Twins

Punchless Offense

The Twins’ offense struggled its way to only seven baserunners. They had no answer for rookie Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich, managing only two hits and a walk off the southpaw. An eighth-inning walk off Danny Coulombe gave them their fourth baserunner, with the rest coming in the bottom of the ninth off Dominguez.

Rough Outing for Funderburk

Kody Funderburk got shelled in the eighth inning, allowing four runs on five hits.

What Went Right for the Orioles

Relentless Offense

The Orioles jumped out to an early lead and kept piling on. They managed 12 hits on the evening. Only three were for extra bases, but it did not matter. Additionally, the Orioles avoided grounding into any double plays. They also batted .333 (3-for-9) with runners in scoring position.

Starting Pitching

As mentioned earlier, Cade Povich pitched effectively, allowing no runs on two hits across 5 2/3 innings, walking one and striking out two.

What Went Wrong for the Orioles

The Orioles left nine men on base, meaning that their 7–2 victory could have been a blowout.

Quick Hits

Friday’s game was the capstone of a large collapse for the Twins. At the end of play on August 17, they were 70–53, 17 games over .500 and in playoff position. Since then, they have gone 12–25, the third-worst record in the American League over that stretch. Only the Los Angeles Angels and Chicago White Sox have a worse record — and 2024 has been the worst season in franchise history for both.

The Orioles are in the playoffs for the second straight year after missing six in a row. Additionally, they are only three years removed from a 52–110 campaign. … This is the first set of back-to-back playoff appearances for the Orioles since the 1996 and 1997 campaigns. Both years, they fell in the ALCS, doing so in five games to the New York Yankees in ’96 and six games to the then-Cleveland Indians in ’97.

Looking Ahead

Povich (3–9) earned the win, with Lopez (15–10) taking the loss.

The Orioles (89–71) and Twins (82–78) will play the second game of their three-game series Saturday evening. Rookie right-hander Zebby Matthews (1–3, 5.71 ERA) will start for the Twins. The Orioles have yet to announce their starting pitcher. First pitch will be at 6:15 pm Central Time at Target Field.