masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgIf the Twins are victorious again today, they will complete their first four-game sweep of the Orioles since Aug. 23-26, 2007 at Camden Yards.
Steve Trachsel, Jim Hoey, Radhames Liz and Erik Bedard were the losing pitchers in that series. Miguel Gonzalez, Darren O’Day and Chris Tillman have been on the short end in these first three games.
This year’s version of the Twins, at least the group that showed up on Thursday, does all the little things that make them come up big in the clutch. They…

If the Twins are victorious again today, they will complete their first four-game sweep of the Orioles since Aug. 23-26, 2007 at Camden Yards.

Steve Trachsel, Jim Hoey, Radhames Liz and Erik Bedard were the losing pitchers in that series. Miguel Gonzalez, Darren O’Day and Chris Tillman have been on the short end in these first three games.

This year’s version of the Twins, at least the group that showed up on Thursday, does all the little things that make them come up big in the clutch. They pitch, they find ways to get on base and they advance runners. They keep executing.

“It’s tough,” Tillman said. “It’s a good lineup. They do the small things that win ballgames. I feel like they’ve bunted four, five, six times in the last two games. They’re willing to take the out to advance them. They’re doing it at the right times. They’ve been playing small ball.”

The Orioles announced their rotation for the Royals series in Kansas City, and you probably noticed that it included Miguel Gonzalez. Just as manager Buck Showalter said it would after Gonzalez’s last start.

If the Orioles are going to repeat as division champions or grab a wild card spot, they apparently will do so with starters from within their organization. They continue to bank on Gonzalez, Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Ubaldo Jimenez and Kevin Gausman. They wait for Tyler Wilson (oblique) and Mike Wright (calf) to get healthy and present themselves as options if any tweaking is done.

gausman-pitching-glasses-orange-sidebar.jpgWill it be enough?

Zach Davies is out of the equation after being traded to the Brewers, but the Orioles have no regrets about getting outfielder Gerardo Parra in return.

Gonzalez really needs to dial it up, and he’d be the first to say it. He posted a 2.19 ERA in his final 11 starts last season. He’s registered a 6.48 ERA in his last 11 starts this season since coming off the disabled list.

Jimenez had a 2.81 ERA in the first half. He’s posted a 7.12 ERA in the second half. Captain Obvious says he needs to pitch like he did before the All-Star break.

I asked Showalter a few days ago whether he continues to play the hand he’s dealt and hope the rotation becomes more consistent.

“As opposed to what? You know?” he replied with a chuckle.

“It’s not a woe is me. Zach probably wouldn’t have come up here this year anyway. We have people in front of him. We’ve got some people who are capable of contributing. We’re going to be fine.

“The answer is right here within the clubhouse by the track record of our guys. I’m not going to sit here and start coveting that we’ve got to do this and we’ve got to do that. I think we have the answers right here.”

Gausman has allowed three earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, with six walks and 29 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings. He labored against the Twins on July 7 at Target Field, allowing seven earned runs (eight total) and seven hits over 3 2/3 innings.

Gausman is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in two career starts against the Twins, with 11 earned runs (13 total) and 12 hits in 11 innings. The current group is 15-for-38 (.395) against him.

Joe Mauer is 4-for-5 with a triple, Kurt Suzuki is 3-for-7, Torii Hunter is 3-for-4 and Miguel Sano is 1-for-2 with a home run.

Twins right-hander Mike Pelfrey has surrendered one run or fewer in three of his last four starts, and two runs or fewer in five of six. He’s allowed two runs over 12 1/3 innings in his last two outings.

Pelfrey has been a much better pitcher at home during his 10-year major league career, including the first seven with the Mets. He’s 35-36 with a 3.84 ERA in 112 games (110 starts) at home and 26-41 with a 5.23 ERA in 98 games (96 starts) on the road.

This season, he’s 4-2 with a 1.97 ERA in 11 starts at Target Field and 2-5 with a 5.58 ERA in 12 starts on the road.

Pelfrey is 2-0 with a 4.08 ERA in three career starts against the Orioles, and 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts at Camden Yards. Adam Jones is 4-for-9, Chris Davis is 2-for-3 with two doubles, Matt Wieters is 1-for-8 and Gerardo Parra is 4-for-18.