Twins 5, Orioles 2: Twins Complete Sweep of Orioles Thanks to Brooks Lee’s Late-Inning Heroics

[Matthew Taylor]

Image courtesy of ©Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Box Score

SP: Bailey Ober 5.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (91 pitches, 60 strikes (66%))
Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (5)
Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee .279, Ty France .144, Griffin Jax .105
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs):

 

The Twins came into Thursday’s series finale against the Orioles riding a four-game winning streak and seeking their second sweep of the year — and thanks to some timely hitting and clutch bullpen work, they got just that.

Bailey Ober took the mound for Minnesota and delivered another solid, if not dominant, performance. The tall right-hander gave up eight hits and a walk across five innings, but limited the damage to just two earned runs while striking out eight. Ober had to navigate some early traffic, but his ability to strand runners proved critical in a game where the Twins' offense was quiet for long stretches.

Baltimore struck first, getting to Ober in the second when Emmanuel Rivera doubled in Ramon Laureano. They added another run in the third on a Ryan Mountcastle sacrifice fly that brought home Jackson Holliday, putting the Orioles up 2-1.

That lead held for much of the game, as Dean Kremer had the Twins off-balance all afternoon. Minnesota managed just three hits through the first seven innings, and Kremer matched Ober’s strikeout total with eight while walking none.

The Twins’ offense showed signs of life early when Ty France delivered an RBI single in the first to score Byron Buxton. But after that, they fell into the familiar offensive rut we've seen for much of the season. That changed in the fifth when Trevor Larnach launched a solo home run, his fifth of the year, to even the score at two.

 

From there, the bullpen took over. Cole Sands, Justin Topa, and Griffin Jax combined for three shutout innings, holding the line while the offense looked for a breakthrough.

That breakthrough came in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs and runners on first and second, Brooks Lee stepped up in a spot that has too often led to a quiet ending for the Twins this season. But not today. Lee ripped a two-run single into right field, scoring both runners and giving the Twins a 4-2 lead.

 

After Ty France contributed another insurance run to give the Twins a 3-run lead, Jhoan Duran came in for the ninth and continued his dominant run to start the season. The right hander needed just six pitches to set the Orioles down in order, notching his sixth save and lowering his ERA to a sparkling 1.04.

With the win, the Twins have now reeled off five in a row and sit just two games below .500 for the first time since April 5, when they were 3–5.

What’s Next

The Twins will look to extend their five-game winning streak as they welcome the San Francisco Giants to Target Field for a weekend series. The Giants, one of the hottest teams in baseball with a 24–14 record, will provide a tougher test than the struggling Orioles. Friday night’s opener will feature Chris Paddack on the mound for Minnesota, squaring off against right-hander Jordan Hicks.

Postgame Interviews

 

Bullpen Usage Report

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[Patzky]

Satisfying win, despite some flaws. Being able to win anyway shows signs of progress and character!

[IndianaTwin]

So Brooks LEE gets the game-winning hit on the day we are introduced to Pope LEO. 

Coincidence? I think not.

I think I'm going to like this guy. 

[TheLeviathan]

This series felt like playing the Twins of the first two weeks of the season.

[Parfigliano]

Next up SFG who are 24-14 and 1.5 games out of 1st.  

[Blyleven2011]

Was on the road mostly and caught some of the game here and there on the radio , I did catch the 8th inning double by Lee  , 2 rbis   , happy for him that he came through in the clutch  and helping his team to a 5 game winning streak and sweep of Baltimore  ....

After the poor start o the season I never envisioned that we would get this close to 500 , yes we played a few poor teams , white Sox ,  angels and also the orioles  plus taking 2 from red Sox ...

Baltimore is in a funk scoring runs , they gets hits but can't seem to get runners in scoring position to cross the plate , Baltimore lost veterans Santander and their 1 year rental ace pitcher Burnes who I'm sure is missed ...

Never imagined Baltimore would be 10 games under 500 , I'm sure they will bounce back some but being in the east division they can't fall back any further  ...

[jmlease1]

Sweeeeep!

Man, I looove winning, you know? Like, it beats losin'?

Ober did a good job filling in for a sick Joe Ryan. Like seeing Larnach get a dinger. Team made the most of their 5 hits, and maybe it was a little satisfying getting the big knock against Cano. Bullpen is doing a nice job of run prevention during this streak. 

[jkcarew]

Nice response in last two series to the Cleveland disappointment.

Might get back to 500 way quicker than seemed possible even a week ago. Much work still to be done, though, as the schedule firms up.

Does this series mean the Twins won the Jorge Lopez trade??

[chpettit19]

Just keep finding ways to score 5 runs a game and they'll be alright. 

[Craig Arko]

Ober gave a masterclass in getting into and out of trouble.

[PDX Twin]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

So Brooks LEE gets the game-winning hit on the day we are introduced to Pope LEO. 

Coincidence? I think not.

I think I'm going to like this guy. 

Which guy?

[Melissa]

I was at the game (my first in person this year). Sign of the times that I could snag a seat in row 11 of Box 6 for $33 (plus taxes and fees, of course). So fun to be close to our heroes in person! Three dimensions a lot better than looking at a screen.

As stated in the article, the Orioles had runners in scoring position seemingly in all five of Ober's innings. A sharp double play saved two runs at one point. Byron throwing a runner out at the plate was also crucial -- and it looked to us that he could easily have been called safe.

Ty France kept up his hitting prowess, and Larnach's home run was so important to morale in the stands. Buxton and Bader look fantastic. Carlos looked lost at the plate but gunned several runners down. His arm has not lost a bit of speed and precision.

Brooks Lee looked a bit unreliable a few times at second base (only one misplay was named an error) and struck out his first three times at bat (we could hear his "f*ck" clearly as he returned to the dugout after number three), so it was great to have him drive in those late runs to secure the game. 

It's amazing how quickly the TD writers post these stories! As a former copyeditor may I suggest two tiny corrections to the article - Ober allowed just one earned run (the other followed Lee's error) and Larnach's homer was in the bottom of the sixth.

Go Twins!

[JD-TWINS]

16 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Sweeeeep!

Man, I looove winning, you know? Like, it beats losin'?

Ober did a good job filling in for a sick Joe Ryan. Like seeing Larnach get a dinger. Team made the most of their 5 hits, and maybe it was a little satisfying getting the big knock against Cano. Bullpen is doing a nice job of run prevention during this streak. 

Larnach had no HR’s and was hitting about .170, maybe 3 plus weeks ago ….. he’s on pace for 25 HR’s now……up to around .230.

France & Bader continue to make positive contributions!

Pitching getting it done almost routinely. Duran is in a groove. He & Jax need a day off!

5 RUNS with 5 hits & 5 walks is a good thing!!

Last, Lee seems to be hitting the ball with authority a couple times in at least every other game……..much better than once or twice per week.

 

[jkcarew]

34 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Last, Lee seems to be hitting the ball with authority a couple times in at least every other game……..much better than once or twice per week.

Baseball Reference has the entire active roster with above league average exit velocity with the exceptions of Castro, Bader, and Keirsey Jr. So, maybe results continue to improve a bit.

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, PDX Twin said:

Which guy?

Yes. 

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Sweeeeep!

Man, I looove winning, you know? Like, it beats losin'?

Ober did a good job filling in for a sick Joe Ryan. Like seeing Larnach get a dinger. Team made the most of their 5 hits, and maybe it was a little satisfying getting the big knock against Cano. Bullpen is doing a nice job of run prevention during this streak. 

Cano allowed zero hits. He did walk the two guys who scored on Lee's double and was charged with the loss.

[GNess]

I enjoy Bader's competitive mindset. He brings it.

[amjgt]

1 hour ago, Melissa said:

I was at the game (my first in person this year). Sign of the times that I could snag a seat in row 11 of Box 6 for $33 (plus taxes and fees, of course). So fun to be close to our heroes in person! Three dimensions a lot better than looking at a screen.

Resale apps (in MN) have to include taxes and fees from the start now. It’s awesome. 

[Guest]

Many commenters want Baldelli fired. Derek Shelton of the Pirates just got fired. Does anyone think they will now go on to make the playoffs????

Chime in and be held accountable about the effectiveness of firing a manager to improve team performance.

[mnfireman]

Tell me that WPA means nothing without telling me WPA means nothing: Top 3 WPA: Brooks Lee .279, Ty France .144, Griffin Jax .105

Lee had a horrible day going until he hit that double, in fact the Orioles were ahead 2-1 until the 6th because of Lee....(and, believe it or not I am a big fan of Lee's...these advance metric stats not so much).

[mnfireman]

21 minutes ago, Verified Member said:

Many commenters want Baldelli fired. Derek Shelton of the Pirates just got fired. Does anyone think they will now go on to make the playoffs????

Chime in and be held accountable about the effectiveness of firing a manager to improve team performance.

Shelton is a victim of cheap ownership while Baldelli is..... never mind!!

[Eris]

Buxton made a very good throw in the 6th to keep the Orioles lead at 1 (2-1)

[mnfireman]

Ober has 1.98 ERA since his disaster against the Cardinals...

[AceWrigley]

Nice win. And Mickey Gasper just hit a 2 out, walk-off 3-run homerun in the bottom of the 9th propelling the Saints over the Bison 13-10.

[strumdatjag]

5 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

So Brooks LEE gets the game-winning hit on the day we are introduced to Pope LEO. 

Coincidence? I think not.

I think I'm going to like this guy. 

Louis Varland has convinced the new Pope to go by the more formal and dignified Pope Leonardo. 

[AlLagoon]

3 hours ago, GNess said:

I enjoy Bader's competitive mindset. He brings it.

He's kind of a 21st-century Dan Gladden, blond locks and all.

[Wizard11]

Might want to check those pitch totals on the bullpen usage chart.   Several are incorrect

[UK Twin]

No hits for Buxton but still had a big influence on the result. BB, SB and R in the first, throws out the runner at the plate in the 6th and drew another big walk in the 8th, a crucial part of the 3 run inning. Very pleased to see him draw 2 walks and not strikeout at all, it's part of the game he needs to work on.

Can definitely see a firing or two in Baltimore soon, how they've become such a mess so quickly is shocking given the talent on that team. Giants will prove much tougher opposition so I'm quite pleased that we'll be sending out both Ryan and Lopez against them.

[UK Twin]

4 hours ago, mnfireman said:

Ober has 1.98 ERA since his disaster against the Cardinals...

I think he needs that first start of the season to be a horror show to focus him! Although this year was on Rocco as he sent him out with a virus.

[Linus]

Didn’t see the game but I bet it was fun watching Buck score from first on that double.