Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
BAL	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	7	0
MIN	1	0	4	0	2	0	0	0	—	7	14	0

First pitch at Target Field went off at 12:40 PM CT with Shane Baz (4-11, 4.00 ERA) squaring off against Zebby Matthews (5-8, 5.34 ERA) in the finale of this three-game set. Baz came in off arguably his best start of the year, an 8-inning, 9-strikeout effort against Texas, while Matthews was fresh off a win over Milwaukee where he battled through some traffic but got the job done.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Orioles(58-62)

WLWLL

5

-1.5+167+104o8.5-115

Twins(59-62)

LWLLW

7

+1.5-170-104u8.5+115

Best BetTwins -105

Postgame

The Twins winning outright validates the pick, and it wasn't especially close in the moments that mattered — Minnesota built the lead early and never trailed. The 'Orioles just beat this club' bear point was fair given the series history, but Baltimore's ninth-inning rally only got the deficit to two, never to the plate that mattered.

Pregame

Minnesota's only a shade of a favorite here at home, and that's mostly about health — Baltimore's pitching staff and catching corps have taken real hits down the stretch while the Twins lean on a deeper staff after adding Dean Kremer at the deadline. Matthews' ERA is ugly, but backing the Twins moneyline is a bet on this offense doing enough at home against a Baltimore lineup that's gone cold in August.

Neither rotation is at full strength right now. Baltimore's pitching staff has been gutted, with multiple arms on extended injured-list stints, and Minnesota isn't much better off — its front of the rotation has been picked apart for months. That's part of why both of these fifth-starter types were on the bump in a game that mattered plenty in the standings race, with each club sitting a game off .500 and neither able to afford much more slippage.

Shane Baz

(4-13)·4.02 ERA

Aug 7 @ Rangers

L

8.0IP

2ER

9K

1BB

93P

08/12 Lineup

Zebby Matthews

(7-8)·5.12 ERA

Aug 7 @ Brewers

W

5.0IP

3ER

4K

2BB

83P

08/12 Lineup

Neither lineup is fully intact either. Byron Buxton was still a game away from returning for Minnesota, and Baltimore is still without several key pieces on the position-player side. That put more weight on the complementary bats to carry both offenses, and for a day, Minnesota's did the heavier lifting.

Baltimore Orioles

(58-62)

Aug 11W@ Twins5-2

Aug 10L@ Twins5-9

Aug 9W@ Rangers10-5

Aug 8L@ Rangers1-5

Aug 8L@ Rangers1-2

Minnesota Twins

(59-62)

Aug 11Lvs Orioles2-5

Aug 10Wvs Orioles9-5

Aug 9L@ Brewers3-4

Aug 8L@ Brewers3-4

Aug 7W@ Brewers8-6

This one had been a genuine split so far — Baltimore took the opener, Minnesota answered, and the finale carried real stakes for a series that had gone back and forth. Baltimore had actually won its last time out against this same Twins club, so there wasn't much separating these two teams heading in.

Baltimore Orioles

(9)

• 10-Day-ILBlaze Alexander (3B) — Alexander played catch Friday for the first time since sustaining a fractured left hand before the All-Star break, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.08/07
• 10-Day-ILSamuel Basallo (C) — Manager Craig Albernaz said Tuesday that Basallo (shoulder) is close to participating in both his catching and hitting progressions and could be cleared for a rehab assignment within the next two weeks, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.08/04
• 60-Day-ILChris Bassitt (SP) — Bassitt (back) struck out five and allowed three hits and two walks across six scoreless innings Friday in a rehab start with Triple-A Norfolk.08/11
• 60-Day-ILRyan Helsley (RP) — Helsley (elbow) said Sunday that he's about a week into his throwing program but is likely a couple of weeks away from getting back on a mound, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.08/10
• 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista (RP) — Bautista (shoulder) threw live batting practice Tuesday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.08/04
• 60-Day-ILColin Selby (RP) — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Friday that Selby underwent right shoulder surgery Tuesday to repair his labrum and rotator cuff, Andy Kostka of TheBanner.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle (1B) — The Orioles announced that Mountcastle (foot) suffered a "significant" oblique strain while warming up for his first rehab game and will now be out a couple more months, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILKeegan Akin (RP) — Akin (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.07/15
• 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg (3B) — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.05/15

Minnesota Twins

(8)

• 10-Day-ILByron Buxton (CF) — Twins manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that "tomorrow is a possibility" for Buxton's (hip) activation from the 10-day injured list, Jack Azoulay-Haron of ELEmergente.com reports.08/12
• 15-Day-ILJoe Ryan (SP) — Ryan (glute) threw on flat ground Monday, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.08/11
• 15-Day-ILAnthony Banda (RP) — Banda underwent surgery to repair his left lat strain and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/09
• 60-Day-ILMike Paredes (SP) — The Twins transferred Paredes (oblique) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday.08/02
• 60-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — Sands will undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove loose bodies and bone spurs from his right elbow, Jack Azoulay-Haron of ElEmergente.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Festa (shoulder) will undergo a season-ending double surgery Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/29
• 60-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — The Twins plan to re-evaluate Abel (elbow) on Sept. 1, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/20
• 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

Both injury reports read like a MASH unit. Baltimore is missing Ryan Mountcastle, Jordan Westburg, Samuel Basallo and multiple bullpen arms including Felix Bautista, while Minnesota has been without Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, David Festa and Mick Abel for extended stretches. That's a lot of quality on the shelf for two clubs still fighting for playoff position in mid-August.

Minnesota's 4-run third inning was the difference, and a 2-run fifth padded the cushion before Baltimore made things interesting late with a run in the ninth. The Twins out-hit the O's 14-7 and neither side committed an error, which made the four-run frame in the third look even bigger in hindsight — Baltimore never fully recovered from falling behind early.