Brooks Lee’s go-ahead double in 8th leads Twins to 5-2 victory over Orioles for series sweep

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Brooks Lee delivered a clutch two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, completing a three-game sweep and extending their winning streak to five games.

Lee’s go-ahead hit came off reliever Gregory Soto, who took over after Yennier Cano (0-2) walked Harrison Bader and Byron Buxton. After Soto struck out Trevor Larnach, Lee lined a double to center. Ty France followed with an RBI single to cap the three-run inning.

Buxton, though hitless in two at-bats, played a pivotal role—walking twice, scoring twice, stealing a base, and throwing out a runner at home. He had homered in each of the previous three games.

Baltimore grabbed an early lead with RBI doubles from Emmanuel Rivera and Ramón Laureano in the second and third innings off Twins starter Bailey Ober. But Minnesota tied it in the sixth on Larnach’s solo homer, his fifth of the season. Dean Kremer, who allowed just three hits and two runs over seven innings while striking out eight, surrendered the blast—his eighth homer allowed this year.

Ober pitched five innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on eight hits. Griffin Jax (1-2) tossed a scoreless eighth, and Jhoan Duran closed it out for his sixth save.

Defensively, Buxton made a highlight-reel throw to nail Rivera at home in the sixth. Royce Lewis, back from a hamstring injury, went 0 for 3 and is now hitless in his last 30 at-bats dating back to last September.

Orioles catcher Maverick Handley notched his first major league hit with a single, but the team struggled at the plate, going 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position. Baltimore has now dropped five straight and 9 of its last 11.

Statistically, Twins pitchers entered the game with the AL’s fifth-best ERA (3.48) and fourth-most strikeouts (327), while Baltimore ranked last in both categories (5.50 ERA, 247 Ks).

Up Next:
Minnesota hosts the San Francisco Giants Friday with Chris Paddack on the mound. The Orioles wrap up a six-game road trip with a series in Anaheim against the Angels.