The Twins started their promotion for second baseman Brian Dozier to be named an All-Star in the American League’s final player vote with a unique attraction. He has begun to come into his own this season and, with help from Sano and friends, led the Twins to an 8-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Target Field. Minnesota put up three runs in the first, getting a one-out single from Joe Mauer, who advanced to second on a wild pitch.
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“There wasn’t any disappointment or whatever”, Dozier said. “I knew he wasn’t going to throw me three straight (sliders), so I was sitting dead-red heater and he left it up in the zone”.
Sano missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but picked up right where he left off this year and was on pace for another 30-homer campaign at Double-A before being called up last week to take over DH duties in Minnesota. Lough led off the inning with a single and aggressively took second base on a deep fly ball hit by Machado. He’s gone at least five innings in all of those starts. “They got him into scoring position and (May) got a couple huge outs”. The Royals were then able to tie things up in the fifth inning when Alex Gordon hit a one-out solo home run.
Torii Hunter answered with a 411-foot (125m) shot off Orioles starter Chen Wei-Yin of Taiwan in the bottom of the first.
Chen struck out five and walked three while pitching seven innings of four-hit ball.
Orioles: RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (7-4, 2.96) has allowed one run over his last two starts but is coming off a seven-inning, one-run loss against the White Sox.
In the fourth inning Hicks made a play in center field that recalled Willie Mays’ famous over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series.
In the eighth, Suarez connected on an 0-2 pitch from Casey Janssen (0-2) that landed in the first few rows just inside the left field foul pole for his third home run of the year.
Minnesota scored first when Trevor Plouffe and Miguel Sano hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the second inning to make the score 1-0.
Molitor was asked about the degree of difficulty of the catch. The right-hander (10-7) gave up four runs in the first and Preston Tucker’s solo homer in the fourth. Milone is 1-1 with a 1.89 ERA in three career starts against Baltimore but has struggled with third baseman Manny Machado (5-for-8, one home run), first baseman Steve Pearce (4-for-6) and shortstop J.J.
Kansas City, the defending American League champion, led all MLB teams with four players voted in as starters for the July 14 All-Star Game in Cincinnati. Twins LHP Ryan O’Rourke made it to the ballpark and was available to pitch out of the bullpen on Tuesday.
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Minnesota transferred right-handed pitcher Ricky Nolasco to the 60-day disabled list to make room on the club’s 40-man roster. But on Monday the Orioles put outfielder Nolan Reimold on the paternity list so he can attend the birth of his daughter.
