Orioles 3, Twins 1: No walkoff magic today

The first 4 innings of this game went by without a run on the board, and early on, Tyler Wells and Devin Smeltzer were matching each other with strong starts. Smeltzer was aided by some tremendous outfield defense, with Gilberto Celestino launching a dart from center field to nab Anthony Santander at the plate and end the 4th inning. The scoreless tie was broken in the 5th. Rougned Odor crushed a 2-2 pitch from Smeltzer into the seats in right center to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. The Twins were unable to take advantage of a double by Nick Gordon in the bottom of the inning, and the offense was held scoreless through 5. The Orioles would tack on a couple more thanks to back to back solo shots in the 6th from Trey Mancini and Ryan Mountcastle. Jorge Polanco drove in Celestino in the bottom of the 6th to cut Baltimore’s lead to 3-1, and it seemed like another late inning rally might be on the cards. The Twins definitely had their chances, with 2 runners getting on in the 7th and the tying run coming to the plate in the 8th. Despite this, they were unable to add any more runs, and had to settle for a 2-1 series win. The Twins will head to Chicago for a big Central series with the White Sox starting tomorrow with a 2 game lead in the division.

STUDS
Gilberto Celestino: walk, run scored, two stellar plays in CF.

Nick Gordon: 1-2, double in 5th.
Jorge Polanco: 1-4, RBI single in 6th.
Twins bullpen (Minaya and Moran): 3IP, 5K, 1H, 1BB, 0ER.
DUDS
Gary Sanchez: 0-4

Max Kepler: 0-4

Jose Miranda: 0-4

Carlos Correa: 0-3, GIDP in 7th.

Enjoy your Sunday evening, and happy 4th! Thanks to everyone who joined us in the game thread.