Twins Hit 5 More Homers Off Orioles In 9-2 Win
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins hit five home runs off Baltimore for the second straight day, including a pair by Max Kepler in a 9-2 rout of the Orioles on Saturday.
C.J. Cron, Jason Castro and Marwin González also homered for the Twins, who have 21 home runs against the Orioles this year while going 5-0.
Baltimore has given up 69 homers in 28 games, a pace that projects to 399 for the season. St. Louis is second in home runs allowed with 51.
Kepler had four RBIs to help back José Berríos (4-1), who allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. Trevor May pitched a perfect seventh, Taylor Rogers struck out the side in a one-hit eighth, and Adelberto Mejia pitched a 1-2-3 ninth.
Paul Fry (0-1) lost in relief of Dan Straily, who lowered his ERA from 8.59 to 6.75 by allowed an unearned run and three hits in four innings.
Kepler hit a sacrifice fly in the third, but Baltimore built a 2-1 lead on RBI singles by Rio Ruiz in the fourth and Hanser Alberto in the fifth.
Cron hit a two-run homer that put Minnesota ahead 3-2 in the sixth and Kepler had a two-run drive off Tanner Scott in the seventh.
Jimmy Yacabonis gave up three home runs in the eighth.
González stopped an 0-for-19 skid with his second home run this season, a solo drive. Jason Castro added a two-run homer in the eighth and Kepler connected two pitches later.
In Friday's series-opening 6-1 win, Nelson Cruz, Eddie Rosario and Cron hit consecutive homers.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Dylan Bundy (0-3, 6.56 ERA) starts the series finale on Sunday. He has allowed 25 hits and 10 walks in 23 1/3 innings.
Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (1-0, 6.10 ERA) picked up his first victory in his last start, also against Baltimore, allowing two runs in six innings. He did not walk a batter, after walking eight in his first three starts.
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