After wrapping up their ten-game home stand by taking two out of three from the Oakland Athletics, the O’s will head to the Twin Cities to take on the Minnesota Twins for a three-game set in Minneapolis.
The Orioles (18-12) head into the series in first place in the AL East with a fractional 0.5-game lead on the Boston Red Sox (18-13) after concluding their recent home stand with a 6-4 record, but the O’s will look to improve upon their 5-7 record on the road.
The Twins (8-23) are going through a period in which they have been absolutely dreadful, albeit in the middle of a rebuilding project. The Twins sit in last place in the AL Central, and already trail the red-hot Chicago White Sox (22-10) by an astonishing 13.5 games. To add to their misery, the Twins are only 1-9 in their last ten games, and come into the three-game clash with the O’s on a five-game losing streak.
First, let’s take a look at the projected starters:
Tyler Wilson (1-1, 3.04 ERA) will take the mound against Jose Berrios (1-1, 6.75 ERA) on Monday. Wilson has never started against the Twins, but the O’s 26-year-old righty allowed just two hits over three shutout innings with a strikeout in the O’s 3-2 win over the Twins on opening day on April 4th. Berrios, the Twins’ highly touted hurler from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, is going into just his third MLB start. Minnesota’s 21-year-old flamethrower allowed just two runs on three hits over 5.1 innings with five walks and eight strikeouts in his first career win against Houston on May 2nd.
Kevin Gausman (0-1, 1.42 ERA) is slated to take on Phil Hughes (1-5, 5.85 ERA) on Tuesday night. In four career starts versus Minnesota, Gausman is 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. The 25-year-old last faced the Twins on August 23rd, 2015, a game in which he allowed just two runs on three hits over seven innings with zero walks and eight strikeouts, but the Colorado native took a tough no-decision in the O’s 4-3 loss.
Hughes, 29, has an 8-6 record with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP over 24 games versus Baltimore (21 starts). The California native and former Yankee allowed two runs on nine hits over 6.1 innings with one walk and three strikeouts in his last start against the O’s on July 6th, 2015, but took a no-decision in the Twins’ 4-2 triumph.
The Orioles still haven’t decided on who the mystery third starter in the series finale on Wednesday night will be. The hope here (though I know it won’t happen) is that they give Dylan Bundy the ball when it comes down to it. Bundy, 23, has been impressive out of the bullpen this season, registering a 2.25 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP over nine appearances with five K’s over 12 innings.
Again, this is just me hoping against hope. But if it were up to me, the O’s promising rookie would be getting his first career start.
What we do know is that the Twins’ Ricky Nolasco (1-1, 4.70 ERA) will take the mound in the series finale. In five career starts versus Baltimore, Nolasco is 2-3 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. The 33-year-old hasn’t faced the Orioles since August 31st, 2014 when the California native was tagged, allowing eight runs on 12 hits over five innings with two walks and two strikeouts in the Twins’ 12-8 loss.
The O’s come into the series in excellent form on pretty much all fronts. The Orioles super-charged offense, led by Manny Machado (.350, 15 2B, 9 HR, 22 RBI), Mark Trumbo (.325, 9 HR, 24 RBI) and Jonathan Schoop (.257, 6 2B, 5 HR, 12 RBI), is tied for fourth in the AL in runs per game (4.4) while ranking second in team batting average (.264) and team OBP (.330). They also rank first in the AL in home runs with 43, but who’s counting?
Actually, I guess we all are. We’re on pace to launch 232 dingers!
On the opposite side of the ball, the Orioles pitching staff ranks fifth in the AL with a 3.63 ERA, seventh with a 1.29 WHIP and eighth with a .249 BAA. They also still sport the AL’s second-best bullpen that owns a sparkling 2.45 ERA along with a stellar .228 BAA, good for sixth in the AL.
Despite valiant efforts from Joe Mauer (.299, 6 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI), Byung-ho Park (.256, 4 2B, 7 HR, 12 RBI), Oswaldo Arcia (.270, 4 HR, 12 RBI) and Miguel Sano (.234, 6 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI), Minnesota comes into the series ranked just tied for 10th in the AL in homers (26), 11th in batting average (.237) and 12th in runs per game (3.4).
It doesn’t get much better for the Twins pitching staff as they come into this series ranked 13th in the AL in BAA (.271), 14th in OBP (.336) and dead last in WHIP (1.44), starter ERA (5.05) and total team ERA (4.71).
But one thing that stands out is that their bullpen, which ranks 14th in the AL with a 4.20 ERA, 12th in BAA (.261) and 14th in WHIP (1.44), actually isn’t that bad if you cut it in half. Fernando Abad boasts a shining 0.68 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP over 15 appearances this season with 14 K in 13 innings. Trevor May owns an impressive 2.00 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 16 outings with a whopping 26 K over 18 innings, while Michael Tonkin has registered a rock-solid 2.20 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 17 strikeouts in 16.1 innings over 14 games.
I guess my point is that the Twins bullpen ERA has done this impressive trio an injustice. Trust me, they’re really, really good. Even if they’re stuck in the middle of a dreadful season that looks to be going nowhere fast.
The Orioles looked motivated and wasted no time in finding their form in the opening series of the season against the Twins as they took a three-game sweep, but let’s just call it getting even.
As you may remember, the Twins swept the Orioles in the 2015 season series, going 7-0 while also outscoring the O’s 43-18. It was the only team that the Orioles went winless against in 2015, and it was the first time that the O’s had gone winless against an AL opponent in a season series since the O’s went 0-5 against the Oakland A’s in 2008.
Before taking the opening series sweep earlier this year, the O’s were just 7-13 against the Twins since 2013.
Here’s to the O’s giving the Twins a dose of their own medicine for a second time this year! You can never bust out the brooms too many times over the course of a season.
Until next time, O’s fans!
