Article author:
Reuters
Byron Buxton hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Minnesota Twins 3-2 against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night in Minneapolis.
When Luis Arráez reached the single, the Twins dragged 2-1 to finish in 9th place. After a while, Baxton ended the game with a 399-foot shot over the wall with his left fielder.
This was Baxton's 21st home run to lead the team and only advanced his career in the 60th game of the season. Minnesota snapped two game skids that suffered from consecutive walk-off defeats.
Cedric Mullins and Jorge Mateo had one RBI in Baltimore.
Twins right-handed Juan Minaya (1-0) won with a goalless relief on 11/3. Minaya was one of two Minnesota pitchers following starter Joe Ryan, who scored two hits and one run in seven innings. He hit seven and walked one.
Orioles' right-handed Jorge Lopez (3-4), whose ERA played 0.73, gave up two runs with two hits without recording his third save of the season. He ruined the overwhelming performance of Baltimore pitchers Spenser Watkins (6 innings), Cionel Perez and Felix Bautista.
Twins started scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Arráez hit a lead-off double to the deep field in the center right and eventually scored with a single to the left of Hosemilanda.
Carlos Correa also tried to score from second base with Miranda's hit, but he was thrown to the plate. Orioles left fielder Ryan McKenna scooped up the ball and threw a one-hop throw at catcher Adley Rutschman, who tagged just before Correa crossed the plate.
Baltimore evened a 1-1 score in the third top. Malins doubled to the right fielder and drove Mateo to reach the base with a two-out walk.
The score remained stuck because both starting pitchers were dominant.
In the eighth inning, Ryan finally got out of the game and Baltimore took the lead 2-1. McKenna hit a lead-off double and left Caleb Thielbar, Trey Mancini advanced to third place on the ground out, and Mateo scored in a fielder's choice.
– Field-level media
