Jose Berrios won his third straight start and the Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.
Berrios wasn’t as dominant as his last start, but he still gave the Twins six-plus innings and struck out seven to win, 4-3. Perhaps even more important, Berrios, pitching to backup catcher Chris Gimenez, showed that he has the talent to work with anyone. He did get bit by the long ball, though, giving up three home runs to increase his ERA to a still-excellent 1.66 from an unbelievable 0.59.
The transformation of the Twins has been startling. After Wednesday’s win, the Twins improved to 25-18 and have a two game lead over the Cleveland Indians. The Twins, never really known as a strong road team, particularly in the days of the Metrodome, also improved to 14-5 during away games. The Twins and those dangerous Houston Astros have the best road records in the American League.
Extra innings…
-Berrios pitched well on Wednesday, but it was Ervin Santana who stole the show on Tuesday. Santana improved to 7-2 after he pitched a complete game two-hitter and shutout the Orioles, 2-0. How much better are the Twins this season? Santana’s seven wins already matches his total for 2016.
-After 43 games, the Twins are 25-18. This time last season, they were 11-32.
-Brandon Kintzler notched his 12th save Wednesday.
The Twins are 7 games over .500 and haven't lost a game since September. Or something. I don't know. I'm drunk on champagne.
— Phil Mackey (@PhilMackey) May 24, 2017
To clarify: Earlier Tweet about Twins at 25-18 being flashback to Vikings at 5-0 intended as cheap shot at '16 Vikes, not vice versa.
— Patrick Reusse (@1500ESPN_Reusse) May 25, 2017