Twins Surge Ahead as Correa and Buxton Spark Victory Over Orioles

MINNEAPOLIS — It was quite a letdown for the Minnesota Twins. Despite Royce Lewis returning multiple times from injuries, showcasing impressive performances like grand slams and multi-home run games, he failed to deliver his usual spectacular plays for the fans at Target Field, who have come to anticipate this level of performance from him regularly.

Moreover, why lose yourself in a multitude of people?

Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, missing their powerful hitting teammate in the batting order, rose to the occasion with impressive home runs of their own. In the lively environment at Target Field, they collectively brought in seven runs, guiding the Twins to a decisive 9-1 win against the Baltimore Orioles.

Correa's two-run homer in the third inning, which landed deep in the upper deck and was clocked at approximately 458 feet, not only followed Buxton’s RBI double but also marked the farthest hit by a Twin so far this season and the second-longest of Correa's career.

In the seventh inning, with Buxton hitting a line drive into left field for a hit that drove in three runs, his teammates scored shortly before Correa capped off the celebration with an RBI-single.

The victory extended their winning streak to three consecutive games and four at home, but perhaps even more significantly, it snapped an ongoing losing skid. The Twins hadn’t managed to beat the Baltimore team for ten successive matches, and they’d been unable to cross the fifty-run mark against the Orioles over eleven straight encounters.

Moreover, the Twins' explosive offense may not have been the most remarkable aspect of their performance. The team’s pitching staff recorded a season-best 15 strikeouts, with starter Pablo López accounting for an impressive 11 of those, despite lasting just five innings.

After returning from a six-week stint on the injured list for his 2025 comeback, Lewis had a tough outing flying out twice and grounding into a double play. However, he managed to reach base due to one of Orioles' third baseman Coby Mayo’s two mistakes. His contribution is expected to be valuable down the line, particularly when facing left-handed pitchers.

Oddly enough, despite their recent dominance over the Twins, it’s the last-place Orioles—who now have a worse record at 13-21 compared to Minnesota’s 16-20—who appear to be struggling more. This was evident during their initial matchup in 2025. López struck out batters in three separate frames—only four outs were made on balls put into play—and Baltimore managed just three hits throughout the entire game.

One of them, a fourth-inning double by Ryan Mountcastle, scored Gunner Henderson, who had walked, with Baltimore’s only run. But no other Orioles batter ever reached third base, and López simply struck out Jackson Holliday to end their lone mild threat.

Meanwhile, the Twins mounted a five-run inning to overcome left-hander Cade Povey, securing their third consecutive win against a southpaw pitcher. Additionally, they scored four runs in an inning off of relievers Lionel Pérez and Matt Bowman.

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