The Orioles got the kind of night from Shane Baz they could not afford.
After jumping in front 4-1 on Dylan Beavers’ three-run homer in the third, Baltimore watched Baz lose the zone and the game swing hard the other way in a 7-5 loss to the Twins on Wednesday at Target Field. Minnesota answered with four runs in the bottom of the third, then kept the Orioles from getting back in front as Baltimore dropped two of three in Minnesota and wrapped up a rough trip through two teams it needed to beat.
Baz, who had delivered a strong outing in his previous start, lasted only three innings and allowed five runs on nine hits, both season highs. He threw 65 pitches and said afterward, “Just kind of didn’t have command,” Baz said.
“The command was just not good. I wasn’t really executing anything really.
Was kind of just in the zone and not executing pitches where I wanted. And, yeah, they just kept putting the ball in play, and, yeah, just finding holes.”
Minnesota wasted little time erasing Baltimore’s early edge. The Orioles and Twins each scored in the first, with Jackson Holliday’s forceout bringing home Gunnar Henderson after his walk against Zebby Matthews. Josh Bell answered for Minnesota with an RBI single that scored Trevor Larnach.
Then the third inning turned. Beavers launched his third home run of the season, and his first since April 24, to put Baltimore ahead 4-1. But the Twins punched right back with run-scoring singles from Kody Clemens and Victor Caratini, an RBI double by Alan Roden and a sacrifice fly by Luke Keaschall to move in front.
Manager Craig Albernaz said he didn’t have much choice but to go to the bullpen after three innings.
“He wasn’t missing many bats today,” Albernaz said. “They had nine hits and had a lot of good swings, a lot of loud contact. Shane had looked like he had a tough time just like feeling out the strike zone.
“He had some at-bats where he was getting ahead and couldn’t finish, or he was behind and had to come in the strike zone. Just from his feedback, he felt like he was just moving slow today. But he battled and grinded through his outing.”
Cam Sanders handled the next stretch and got into the fifth, allowing two runs on four hits. Minnesota added on as Caratini scored on Trevor Larnach’s infield out and Roden came home on Royce Lewis’ double, stretching the lead to 7-4 after five.
Matthews went five innings for the Twins, giving up four runs on six hits.
Baltimore’s bullpen then kept the game within reach. Andrew Morris worked a perfect sixth.
Jeff Hoffman walked Henderson and Alonso with two outs in the seventh, but a wild pitch and a Holliday lineout ended the threat. A.J.
Minter tossed a clean eighth.
The Orioles did get one last jolt in the ninth when Leody Taveras opened the frame with his seventh homer against Yoendrys Gómez. It was Baltimore’s first hit since Beavers’ blast in the third.
But after Christian Franklin walked, Colton Cowser lined to Gómez, who caught Franklin off first for a double play, and Henderson grounded out to first to finish it. Gómez earned his 17th save in 17 chances.
For Baz, the disappointment came with the contrast fresh in his mind. In his last start, he threw 93 pitches in the first complete game of his career, taking an eight-inning 2-1 loss to Texas. This one was the opposite.
“I threw a good bullpen in between them a few days ago and stuff looked sharp,” Baz said. “You know, body felt good, and I think we were a little smarter about pitch count and catch play during the week and stuff like that. Yeah, I mean, it was just unacceptable to have that type of - going from that outing to this one honestly just pisses me off.”
Baz said he feels physically fine and pointed to the routine as solid.
“I think my last outing kind of reflected that,” he said. “But, yeah, I’m still getting my work in.
Body still feels fine. I’m keeping on my weight and everything like that and staying on my lifting and arm care.
“I think the routine has been good. It’s just, you’ve got to get out there and execute.
I’ve got no excuses or reasons, stuff like that. This is the time of year you either show up or you start to freaking mail it in and give up, and that’s not really what I do, and I’m going to go out there in five days or however many and just execute better.”
Beavers, meanwhile, is trying to find some traction after a stop-start season that included seven missed weeks in May and June with a strained left oblique muscle. His homer Wednesday was just his second extra-base hit since July 20.
“I’ve been working really hard,” Beavers said. “I’m not okay with struggling ’cause I think I’m better than that.
I’ve been trying to figure out what’s been going on, where the inconsistencies are coming from. In the long run, I’m going to figure it out.
It’s just challenging right now. It’s something I can learn from in the long run.”
The road doesn’t get any easier. After Thursday’s offday, the Orioles head to Tampa Bay for a four-game series against the Rays, who have the best record in the American League. Then comes a brutal 10-game stretch: three against the Yankees and three more against the Rays back home after the trip.
“We’re definitely aware of where we’re at in the season and at the standings, and we’re still in it,” Albernaz said. “But also we’ve got to win games and so every game is just as important as the next one, and we have the offday coming up. We have to be ready to go Game One in Tampa.”
The Orioles have now lost each of Baz’s last five starts and are 6-18 when he takes the ball.
In Other News...
Orioles Just Learned The Full Price Of Bostons Adley Blockbuster
Adley Rutschman wasted no time getting settled in after his Boston debut, reaching base three times in all and handling things cleanly behind the plate in his first game with the Red Sox. The Orioles, meanwhile, finally got the last piece of the deal they made with Boston, as the transaction was completed with a player to be named later heading back the other way.
For Baltimore, the return now has a face and a place in the system, and it offers one more reminder of how much the organization was willing to give up to move a franchise centerpiece. The full cost of the blockbuster is now on the books, but the real judgment on it will take far longer than one debut to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Added One More Intriguing Piece In The Adley Rutschman Trade
The Adley Rutschman trade keeps revealing more layers for Baltimore, and the latest piece is a familiar kind of lottery ticket: a young outfielder with real tools and a long developmental runway. The Orioles received Harold Rivas from the Red Sox as the player to be named later, adding another prospect to a package that already brought back catcher Carlos Narvez, outfielder Enddy Azocar and pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon while Jake Rogers headed to Boston.
Rivas is still in Rookie-level ball, so this is less about immediate help than about betting on upside. Baltimore has made a habit of finding value in these kinds of additions, and the appeal here is obvious for a front office that prizes athleticism: speed, defense and arm strength are all part of Rivas' profile, even if the next step in his development remains the real story. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Elias Faces A Defining Rays Test Orioles Fans Cant Ignore
Since Mike Elias arrived in Baltimore, the Orioles have been measured against the kind of steady, resourceful operation the Rays have built over the same span. Tampa Bay has kept winning through changing rosters and real obstacles, piling up a better record and more playoff success while remaining one of baseballs toughest front offices to imitate. For Orioles fans, that comparison has become a useful barometer for where the organization is and where it still wants to go.
Elias has put his own stamp on the roster, leaning into player development and a long-view approach to building a contender. The challenge now is whether that vision can match the standard the Rays have set, especially when the margins shrink in October and the pressure rises. Baltimore does not need to copy Tampa Bay piece for piece, but it does need to prove it can turn its own blueprint into the kind of sustained winning that changes the conversation. [Read more 🡒]