The Baltimore Orioles used a four-run fourth inning to snap a 16-game losing streak to the Minnesota Twins and an overall 14-game losing streak in a 7-4 victory on Tuesday night.
The night got off to a rough start before the first pitch was thrown when Rob Refsnyder was scratched with a sore quadriceps. Things got worse when Michael Pineda allowed a first-inning run on a Trey Mancini single and Mitch Garver left the game after taking a foul tip to the groin.
Although the Twins tied the game on a Kyle Garlick home run, Garver’s groin contusion was a sign of things to come. Baltimore brought more pain in the third inning with RBI singles from Mancini and Freddy Galvis to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead.
After DJ Stewart drove in a run on a groundout, Ryan Mountcastle hit a ground-rule double to put Baltimore ahead 5-1 and end Pineda’s night after three innings.
The Orioles added another run on Pedro Severino’s solo home run in the fourth but a depleted Twins lineup tried to make a comeback.
Alex Kirilloff drove in a run in the top of the sixth but Baltimore got it back on a Makiel Franco home run. Kirilloff added another RBI single in the seventh and Willians Astudillo homered in the eighth inning, but the hole was too big to dig out of and the Orioles scored their first win against the Twins since Mar. 29, 2018.
The Twins will look to salvage the series in the finale against Baltimore on Wednesday night.
