Orioles 15, Twins 2: Slouching towards Seattle

There’s a creed in Major League Baseball that everyone wants to go into the All-Star Break with a victory—a high note upon which to enjoy some days off in the midst of professional sports’ longest season. Ten years ago—2013—the Twins nabbed a rare Yankee Stadium victory heading into the break. Kyle Gibson (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 4 BB, 1 K) was on the mound to start, Glen Perkins pitched a clean ninth, and Aaron Hicks homered off C.C. Sabathia.

Photo by Andy Marlin/AM Photography/Getty Images

Today, Gibson & Hicks were starting for the opposing Orioles and Perkins was sitting beside Dick Bremer in the Bally Sports North booth. Perhaps Perk should have limbered up and joined his fellow mates—it couldn’t have gone much worse.

As has happened quite a bit of late, the Twins actually got on the board first when a leadoff walk to Carlos Correa was brought around to score on Edouard Julien’s double. 1-0 Twins.

That’s when the wheels (who are we kidding—the whole carriage) fell off this afternoon. After a solo home run in the second inning, seven Baltimore runs in the fifth quickly became six more in the sixth—then another in the seventh. 15-2 Orioles.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Twins starter Joe Ryan was knocked around (4.1 IP, 5 ER) when not striking out ten Oriole batters, while Gibson was sterling (7 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 11 K, 1 BB) in his Target Field return.

Adding insult to injury? After a tremendous ninth inning effort on a hot shot behind 1B, Alex Kirilloff pounced to his feet and looked to make the toss to the bag. But newly-inserted Jorge Lopez was statuesque upon the hill, forcing AK to race for and tumble across the sack in recording the out.

Not even a hilarious Rocco Baldelli challenge on the game’s not-so-final ground-out could turn the tide on this one. Your final: Baltimore Orioles 15, Minnesota Twins 2.

Have fun marinating on this one over the break, Twins. An absolute embarrassment that drew rightful boos from the Twins Territory faithful. Here’s hoping this roster looks different next Friday in Oakland.

Studs

Duds

Comment of the Game

No comment of the game will be awarded on this day. Why? Well, that’s what happens when a ball club is constructed that no one can get behind—evidenced by the dead-as-a-doornail gamethread—even while competing for a division title (albeit potentially the weakest one in MLB history) and the front office does absolutely nothing about it.

(Kudos to all who did stop in.)