The Baltimore Orioles lineup is built to go big, and that’s just what they have been doing over the past three games, rain or shine.
Mark Trumbo hit two home runs and the Orioles hit back-to-back homers for the third straight game in a 9-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday.
Adam Jones had four hits, including a two-run homer in the ninth, and Chris Davis also went deep and drove in four runs for the first-place Orioles, who have won four straight. Tyler Wilson (2-1) gave up two runs and six hits in seven innings.
On a chilly, rainy day in a ballpark that plays big, the Orioles swung bigger.
”We obviously have a lot of power in our lineup,” Davis said. ”I think guys have really had good at-bats these last couple of days, not just going up there hacking, but looking for a pitch to drive and haven’t been missing them.”
Hughes lost
Miguel Sano hit his fourth homer for the Twins (8-25), who have lost seven straight games. Phil Hughes (1-6) allowed five runs and six hits while lasting just four innings in another terrible start for the worst team in the American League.
The 3-4-5 hitters for the Orioles – Jones, Davis and Trumbo – went 10 for 15 with four homers, nine RBIs and seven runs scored.
”There’s a lot of guys in this league that could hit some of the pitches out that I was throwing up there today,” Hughes said. ”It’s what they do. A big lineup that can hurt you with one swing.”
Trumbo opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the second inning, and then recorded his third multi-homer game of the season when he followed Davis’ two-run shot in the fourth with his 11th homer.
The Orioles became the 15th team in big league history to hit back-to-back home runs in three straight games. If they pull it off again on Thursday back home, they will join the 1964 Minnesota Twins as the only teams to do it four times.
”I think the last couple games have been really strong and kind of what we’re hoping for,” Trumbo said. ”I think it gives our pitchers little more peace of mind, probably, to know that good thing are going to happen.”
It all came at the expense of Hughes, who has seen the velocity on his fastball drop significantly over his past three starts in which he has lasted a combined 11 innings. He only made it two innings in his previous start, and the inability of the starters to pitch
deeper into games has heavily taxed Minnesota’s bullpen just six weeks into the season.
Pat Dean made his big league debut in relief of Hughes, giving up two runs in 2 2/3 innings.
In his second game in the leadoff spot, Minnesota’s Joe Mauer had two hits.