Brad Brach gets a huge out as the bullpen steps up in Game 2

Even after just a couple of days of the new season, there is just one unbeaten team in the America League East and only two in the entire AL. The Orioles and Tigers are 2-0.

In the very small sample size of two games, first baseman Chris Davis said he'll take this starting pitching - just one run allowed over seven innings by Chris Tillman and Yovani Gallardo.

"Absolutely," Davis said. "That is what we expect out of these guys. We work real hard on our defense in spring and take a lot of pride in it. We just want these guys to go out there and feel comfortable and throw strikes. I'm proud of the way they are battling."

Davis hit the season's first homer last night, when he hit a 1-2 slider from Kyle Gibson over the center field fence in the last of the third. Davis leads the majors with 160 home runs since 2012.

Matt Wieters has a hit in each of the season's first two games and that gives him a 10-game hitting streak dating to last year. That ties his career high 10-game streak set from May 8-21, 2011.

The Orioles bullpen pitchers were overpowering at times late in last night's 4-2 win over the Twins. Of the last nine outs they recorded over the last three innings, eight were via a strikeout.

While Zach Britton recorded his first save of 2016 last night, Brad Brach saved the game for the moment with a huge out in the top of the seventh.

Brach walked two batters that inning and Miguel Sano came up with Minnesota down 4-2. Sano hit 18 homers in 279 at-bats last season, posting a .530 slugging percentage and .916 OPS. He wields a dangerous bat and no doubt had designs on a three-run jack to give his team a lead in that spot.

But Brach threw him three straight mid-90s fastballs to strike him out and get the O's safely into the dugout with the lead.

Brach said a reliever lives for such challenges.

"Definitely. When you are in the late innings like that you want to face the best hitters in the world. And that is what you get to do on a nightly basis in the majors. For me, that is fun," he said.

"Just needed to attack," Brach said of his battle with Sano. "After the walk there, I didn't want to put him on base or give him anything good to hit. Just kind of going up the ladder on him, you know. Just elevating the fastball a little bit higher each time. He couldn't catch up to it or lay off it either."

Orioles pitchers often throw elevated fastballs to get outs. Brach embraces the strategy.

"It is one of those things where it is tough for the hitter to lay off and it's tough for them to catch up to it. When you throw a couple of pitches down especially, they are licking their chops to get one up in the zone. Especially if you are ahead (in the count). If you can elevate around the letters or a little bit higher, they just can't lay off that. It's a good pitch."

Opening night on the farm: The Orioles' four full-season minor league affiliates all play their season-opening games tonight. Triple-A Norfolk hosts Gwinnett at 7:05 p.m., Double-A Bowie hosts Akron at 6:35 p.m., Single-A Frederick is at Myrtle Beach at 7:05 p.m. and Single-A Delmarva is at Hagerstown at 6:05 p.m.

Here are the current rotations and the order of pitchers for each team to start this year:

Norfolk: Odrisamer Despaigne, Nick Additon, Todd Redmond, Terry Doyle.

Bowie: Joe Gunkel, David Hess, Parker Bridwell, Ariel Miranda, Chris Lee, Jason Garcia.

Frederick: Mitch Horacek, John Means, Matthew Grimes, Chipper Smith.

Delmarva: Lucas Long, Brian Gonzalez, Cory Jones, Cristian Alvarado, Ofelky Peralta.

We still don't know the fifth starters for Norfolk or Frederick. Bowie is beginning the year with a six-man rotation. Bowie's third game on Saturday night will actually be started by the Orioles' Kevin Gausman with Bridwell pitching behind him. Gausman is expected to pitch three to four innings in that start for the Baysox, then likely make his next start after that on April 14 at Frederick. That would set him up to join the Orioles and make his big league season debut April 19 against Toronto at Camden Yards.