What happened? Charlie Morton allowed a three-run home run to Byron Buxton in four innings as the Orioles lost for the fourth straight time, 5-2, to the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Wednesday night.
In the third inning, Morton (0-7) allowed a single to Willi Castro and hit Kody Clemens with a pitch before Buxton hit his ninth home run. He also homered on Tuesday night.
“It just spun. Just a really unfortunate, really bad timed, bad pitch,” Morton told reporters in Minneapolis.
Ramón Laureano’s fourth home run in the second gave the Orioles (13-22) a 1-0 lead. They narrowed the gap to 3-2 on an RBI single by Heston Kjerstad in the fifth.
Keegan Akin gave up a two-run home run to Harrison Bader in the seventh.
Former Oriole Danny Coulombe (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning. Jhoan Duran struck out the side in the ninth for his sixth save.
The Orioles, who struck out 17 times and had just three hits in a 9-1 loss on Tuesday night, outhit the Twins 10-8, but were just 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position and hit into two double plays.
“We didn’t get a clutch hit in a big spot,” manager Brandon Hyde told reporters in Minneapolis. “I thought we had some good at-bats tonight. It was good to see us use the whole field a couple of times. We need to do more than that…Not getting the three-run homer, the two-run homer like they got.”
The Orioles are nine games under .500 for the first time since July 2nd, 2022.
Zach Eflin is expected to start this weekend at the Los Angeles Angels for the first time since he went on the injured list with a strained right lat on April 8th. Tyler O’Neill, who is with Triple-A Norfolk on a rehab assignment, is also expected to be activated this weekend.
The Orioles acquired right-handed pitcher Luis F. Castillo from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash considerations. He has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.
Castillo has a 7.71 ERA in two starts with Seattle this season.
To make room for Castillo, the Orioles designated left-handed pitcher Walter Pennington for assignment.
How did Morton pitch? In four innings, Morton gave up four hits, but the crucial one was the home run by Buxton. He struck out two and walked one and hit a batter.
“I thought he was OK,” Hyde said. “He just hung that breaking ball to Buxton.”
Hyde is trying to find some positives in Morton’s performance. His ERA dropped from 9.76 to 9.38.
“He had that one tough inning in most of his starts,” Hyde said. “Just made a bad pitch to Buxton. Three clean innings besides that. It could be a step in the right direction.”
The 41-year-old Morton answers questions thoughtfully and at length.
“The results are so bad that there will be times just randomly during the day where I’ll think about [retiring],” Morton said. I’ll think about how poorly I’ve pitched…It’s almost like shocking to me. I have the experience. I have knowledge. I still think I have the tools to be a halfway decent pitcher.
“I had one of my best seasons when I was 37 years old. I still think that I have the physical tools to go out there and still be a halfway decent pitcher.”
What does it mean? While the Orioles hit better than in their first loss to Minnesota, they didn’t get any big hits. It seemed like a game they could have won.
What’s the word? “We lost on two hanging breaking balls on a three-run homer and a two-run homer.”-Hyde on what cost the Orioles the game.
What’s the stat of the day? The Orioles have lost four straight, their longest losing streak since July 9th-13th, 2024 when they lost five in a row.
What’s going on in the minor leagues? Tyler O’Neill was 1-for-3 as the designated hitter in the second game of his rehab assignment as Triple-A Norfolk beat Nashville 10-6 in 10 innings.
Luis Vázquez hit a three-run home run in the 10th. Roansy Contreras pitched three shutout innings, striking out five.
Centerfielder Tavian Josenberger drove in two runs as Double-A Chesapeake beat Portland 4-3 in the first game of a doubleheader. The Baysox won 2-1 in the second game.
Blake Money, Levi Stoudt and Wyatt Cheney combined on a five-hitter as High-A Aberdeen beat Jersey Shore 1-0. The IronBirds won despite having only three hits.
Centerfielder Raylin Ramos and designated hitter Kevin Guerrero each drove in two runs as Single-A Delmarva beat Myrtle Beach 6-3.
What’s next? Dean Kremer (3-4, 5.73) faces Joe Ryan (2-2, 2.93) in the final game of the series at 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday.
Call for questions: Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com