MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton homered for a third straight game and Harrison Bader had a pinch-hit homer to lift the Minnesota Twins to a 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night for their fourth consecutive victory.
Buxton hit a three-run shot to the second deck in left field off Orioles starter Charlie Morton (0-7) in the bottom of the third inning to put the Twins up 3-1. Buxton also had a three-run homer in Tuesday’s 9-1 win over Baltimore and hit a solo blast Sunday in Boston.
Danny Coulombe (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win. Jhoan Durán earned his fifth save with a clean ninth inning for the Twins, who matched their longest winning streak of the season.
The Orioles have lost a season-high four in a row.
With Minnesota leading 3-2 in the seventh, Bader pinch hit for No. 9 hitter Kody Clemens. Bader jumped on a 1-0 pitch from reliever Keegan Akin for a two-run homer to give the Twins a cushion.
Baltimore’s Ramón Laureano hit a solo homer off Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson in the top of the third. The Orioles also scored a run in the fifth.
Morton’s woes continued for Baltimore. The 41-year-old right-hander still doesn’t have a win in nine outings, including six starts. Morton allowed three runs and four hits in four innings and saw his ERA rise to 9.38.
Woods Richardson gave up a run and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Key moment
Bader’s homer in the seventh was the first pinch-hit homer of his career. The veteran outfielder has four home runs and 16 RBIs in his first season with Minnesota.
Key stat
With his scoreless inning Wednesday, Coulombe has pitched 14.1 innings in relief this season without allowing a run.
Up next
Baltimore will send right-hander Dean Kremer (3-4, 5.73 ERA) to the mound for the series finale Thursday. Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.72) will start for the Twins in place of Joe Ryan, who was scratched with an illness.
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