Who stood out in the Orioles’ 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday afternoon?
In the spirit of hockey’s “three stars” system with the addition of home plate for honorable mentions and other notes, we go around the bases after the 32nd game of the 2016 season.
1st — Mark Trumbo continues to be one of the best offensive performers in the American League and clubbed two more home runs and drove in three of Baltimore’s first five runs. His second-inning homer traveled 427 feet, and he has hit five long balls traveling at least 425 feet this season, according to ESPN. The right-handed slugger became the first in the majors with three multi-homer games in 2016. You keep waiting for Trumbo to cool off, but he instead keeps hitting baseballs a long way.
2nd — Chris Davis followed his three-hit night in the opener with a four-hit, four-RBI performance that included a two-run homer and two doubles to elevate his average to .242 and his on-base plus slugging percentage to .858. With Manny Machado and Trumbo continuing to pace the offense, Davis heating up could spell trouble for the Orioles’ opponents — Detroit and Seattle — on the upcoming homestand.
3rd — Adam Jones followed his clutch Tuesday night with four hits, which included a two-run shot on a hanging slider from Twins reliever Brandon Kintzler in the top of the ninth. The center fielder raised his average to .238 after it had dipped below .200 just a couple days ago. It’s looking more and more like the All-Star center fielder has finally found his swing after a rough start to 2016.
Home — Tyler Wilson worked seven solid innings and pitched effectively after being staked to a comfortable lead. Plenty of balls were hit in the air against the right-hander in a big ballpark, but none of the six grounders he induced were bigger than the 6-4-3 double play from Eduardo Nunez, who had represented the potential tying run with one out in the fifth. … The Orioles improved to a season-best eight games above .500, which also eclipses their high-water mark from 2015. … With Davis and Trumbo each hitting bombs in the fourth, Baltimore has now hit back-to-back homers in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. … The traditional heart of the order (Jones, Davis, and Trumbo) combined to go 10-for-15 with four home runs and nine RBIs. … The Orioles will send Ubaldo Jimenez to the hill against Detroit’s Mike Pelfrey to begin a seven-game homestand on Thursday night.
