Twins try to shake off tough loss with visit to Orioles

An angry Minnesota Twins team arrives in Baltimore to start a three-game series against the Orioles on Monday.

The visiting Twins appeared on their way to winning their third straight game and taking three of four from the Detroit Tigers when they gave up four runs in the eighth inning Sunday to lose 4-3.

The Orioles saw the opposite outcome, as they rallied from a 4-3 seventh-inning deficit to defeat the Brewers 6-4 and salvage the series finale. The Orioles have now gone 96 series without being swept, dating back to May 2022.

A chance for Minnesota to get to .500 on Sunday turned into their sixth loss in nine games.

Detroit's eighth-inning rally included a short-hop liner off the heel of shortstop Willi Castro's glove and Mark Canha's two-run double off third baseman Kyle Farmer's glove into left field. Both plays were ruled hits, but the Minnesota duo believed they should have made both plays.

"That was a really hard-hit ball," Castro said. "It was coming like a knuckleball. Yeah, I tried to do my best, tried to handle it, and obviously, that happened. I think it was the cause of the game."

Farmer took a backhand stab at Canha's smash but didn't come up with it.

"I mean, we didn't get beat that game. We lost that game," Farmer said. "Partially my fault, too. I'll take ownership of it."

The celebration in Baltimore Sunday was twofold. The Orioles rallied past the Brewers, and a key part of that rally was the first major league hit by MLB's top prospect, Jackson Holliday.

After an 0-for-13 start with nine strikeouts, Holliday singled the tying run to third, raced to third on a single and then scored the go-ahead run on a double-play groundout.

"Saw a first-pitch slider and was able to take it, and then I knew a heater was coming. Glad to be able to square it up and get a hit," Holliday said after the game on MASN television.

"Very excited to get it out of the way. I'm looking forward to (Monday)," he added.

Manager Brandon Hyde had given Holliday a day off on Saturday.

The Orioles smacked three home runs, including in the eighth when Colton Cowser provided an insurance run with a solo homer, his fourth of the 2024 season and fourth in four days. The 24-year-old is batting .441 and has 13 RBIs, tied for the team lead.

Minnesota right-hander Louie Varland (0-2, 9.00 ERA) will face off against Baltimore left-hander Cole Irvin (0-1 8.10 ERA) in a matchup of pitchers trying to get on track.

The 26-year-old Varland allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings of a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last time out. He struck out six. Varland has never faced the Orioles.

Irvin was roughed up in his last start as well, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings in a no-decision against the Boston Red Sox. He struck out four.

Irvin is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three starts versus the Twins.