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Gunnar Henderson destroyed a curveball from Twins starter Bailey Ober in the third inning, held his pose as he watched the flight of the ball before beginning his trip around the bases, and slapped hands enthusiastically with teammates as he approached the dugout. The Orioles were riding a high, taking a three-run lead in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
They wouldn’t get another hit until Henderson’s two-out single in the seventh. The momentum died as quickly as his ball had reached the flag court.
Henderson homered after Ryan Mountcastle’s RBI double, but the Twins homered twice against Dean Kremer in a four-run fourth and pulled away late in a 6-3 win at Camden Yards.
Center fielder Byron Buxton charged Ryan O’Hearn’s sinking line drive and made a diving catch to end the seventh after Mountcastle reached on an error and Henderson singled. The Orioles finished with four hits, failed in their attempt to win back-to-back games for a third time, and fell to 15-25.
The Twins committed four errors but won their ninth game in a row, including a sweep of the Orioles last week at Target Field. They scored twice against Keegan Akin in the ninth on Trevor Larnach’s RBI double and a wild pitch. Larnach had advanced to third base on right fielder Tyler O’Neill’s error.
Kremer had surrendered two runs in his last two starts totaling 14 innings. He was removed today after 5 2/3 with the Twins ahead 4-3 and his pitch count at 95. He allowed seven hits, the last Harrison Bader’s double with two outs in the sixth.
Henderson stayed hot with his third homer in four games. He’s reached base in 18 consecutive games.
This is the 10th time in Henderson’s career that he’s hit a home run in at least two straight games.
Henderson also drew a two-out walk against former Orioles left-hander Danny Coulombe, who replaced starter Bailey Ober in the fifth after Mountcastle walked. Ryan O’Hearn flied to center.
Coulombe hasn’t allowed a run this season in 19 appearances and 16 2/3 innings.
Kremer tossed three scoreless innings on 36 pitches, 26 for strikes, but Brooks Lee led off the fourth with a first-pitch home run. Carlos Correa reached on an infield hit and Willi Castro walked, but Kremer retired the next two batters and neared an escape. Christian Vázquez, batting .170 with no homers and two RBIs before today, launched a curveball into the bullpen to give the Twins a 4-3 lead.
Lee’s homer also came on a curve.
"Dean's been throwing the ball great, just had one bad inning," said manager Brandon Hyde.
"We had three hits going into the ninth inning, so tough to win games that way."
Kremer considered the pitch to Vázquez as the only bad one among the home runs.
"Lee put a good swing on a ball that wasn't in the zone, so tip your cap," he said. "Monday morning quarterback, probably should have went with my strengths there with two outs."
Bryan Baker retired all four batters he faced, striking out two, and lowered his ERA to 2.08. Mountcastle made a diving stop of Kody Clemens’ grounder and threw to Baker to end the seventh. Baker gave catcher Adley Rutschman an enthusiastic slap on the backside, pounded his fist in his glove multiple times and chucked the ball into the last row of seats behind the dugout.
Ramón Urías was reinstated from the injured list this morning and went 0-3 in his first game since April 30. He walked in the third inning and scored from first base with two outs on Mountcastle’s double down the left field line.
Unlike many of his teammates, Urías didn’t need an extended period of time before returning. And Hyde was happy to plug him into the lineup and at third base.
“I didn’t feel like I pulled it big. I just felt it grab a little bit,” Urías said. “I knew it was going to be quick.”
The Orioles made the decision to reinstate Urías without sending him on a rehab assignment.
“It wasn’t too many days off and my swing feels good,” he said.
His leg seemed fine. And he celebrated from the dugout as Henderson drove Ober’s curveball 405 feet at 107.3 mph.
Rutschman batted fifth, the only time that he’s slotted below cleanup this season, and went 0-for-3 to lower his average to .199. He drew a leadoff walk in the sixth, but Brock Stewart struck out the next three batters, including Cedric Mullins on 11 pitches.
Plate umpire James Hoye ejected Ramón Laureano after a called third strike ended the inning. Laureano tossed his bat in the air and spiked it with his right hand, removed his helmet and slammed it to the ground with both hands.
The Orioles put two runners on base against Griffin Jax in the eighth on an error and walk, but Urías struck out. Mountcastle reached on an infield hit in the ninth on another ball that Clemens couldn't scoop at first. He was stranded at second.
* Chayce McDermott will start Game 2.
* Reliever Andrew Kittredge will make his fifth rehab appearance this weekend. Hyde said Kittredge needs to go back-to-back at least one time before the Orioles reinstate him from the injured list.
