MINNEAPOLIS – An off-day didn’t provide a reset for the Orioles. Facing a right-handed starting pitcher wasn’t a reprieve.
Striking out 11 times against the Twins’ Pablo López in five innings and 17 overall wasn’t going to bring them back from an early deficit.
Cade Povich allowed five runs in the third, including Carlos Correa’s 458-foot shot into the second deck in left field, López had hitters barreling air, and the Orioles lost their third consecutive game 9-1 before an announced crowd of 19,779 at Target Field.
It seemed like the appropriate venue for target practice.
Povich retired six of the first seven batters, with Correa reaching on an infield hit leading off the second, but Trevor Larnach and Willi Castro singled with one out in the third and Byron Buxton put the Twins ahead with a 109.7 mph double off the left field fence. Ryan Jeffers followed with a two-run single into right field with the infield in.
Cedric Mullins raced back and jumped to catch Ty France’s 410-foot fly ball on the center field track, but Correa demolished a fastball for a 5-0 lead.
The bullpen looked like it would again get busy early with Povich at 60 pitches through the third. Coby Mayo’s fielding error extended the inning and the Twins sent nine batters to the plate. But Povich retired the side in order in the fourth, thanks to a nice diving stop and throw by Jackson Holliday to rob Larnach, and again in the fifth and sixth to bring him to a career-high 103 pitches.
The Orioles are 13-21, the first time being eight games below .500 since July 3, 2022. They beat the Twins in Minnesota to start a 10-game winning streak.
They’re going in the other direction.
Matt Bowman inherited two runners from Cionel Pérez in the seventh and Buxton homered to left field. Bowman allowed another run in the inning – Mullins made a sensational diving catch to prevent further damage - and he’s been scored upon in five of his last seven appearances.
López came out of the game after the fifth inning because the strikeouts vaulted him to 98 pitches. He fanned the side three times. Former Orioles reliever Danny Coulombe extended his scoreless streak to 15 appearances by retiring the side in order in the sixth and striking out two.
Holliday extended his hitting streak to six games with a two-out single in the second inning at 108.6 mph off the bat. He’s 5-for-11 this month.
López retired 11 of the first 13 batters with seven strikeouts, a total he reached through the third, along with 11 whiffs and 56 pitches thrown. He walked Gunnar Henderson leading off the fourth, induced two ground balls and surrendered an RBI double to Ryan Mountcastle on a 112 mph line drive into the left field corner.
The next four Orioles struck out and López was done for the night.
Povich retired the last 10 batters but his ERA went from 5.16 to 5.55. One bad inning spoiled the whole start.
* Samuel Basallo hit his fourth home run tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, connecting off Nashville’s Brandon Woodruff. He started at first base.
Kyle Brnovich allowed one run and two hits with six strikeouts in five innings. His ERA is 3.98.