BALTIMORE - JUNE 5: The outfield clock above the scoreboard is shown during the Baltimore Orioles game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 5, 2006 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles defeated the Blue Jays 4-0. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Twins shut out the Baltimore Orioles 4-0 on Thursday afternoon. Once again, the story is a lack of performance by the offense. Despite essentially matching the Twins in the hit column (6 to 7), it was what the Orioles didn’t do that made the difference.

Of the Orioles six hits, two went for extra bases. Cedric Mullins (1 for 3) doubled in the eighth inning and Ryan Mountcastle (1 for 4) doubled in the fourth inning but was erased trying to stretch the hit into a triple when Kody Clemens threw him out from rightfield.

As a team, the Orioles grounded into two double plays, went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and didn’t produce multiple hits in an inning until Adley Rutschman (1 for 3, HBP) and Ryan O’Hearn (2 for 4) hit back-to-back singles in the ninth.

Indicative of the way the season is going was the Orioles fifth ninning. The inning started whit Rutschman getting hit by a pitch and O’Hearn hitting a single; three opportunities to knock in a run resulted in Tyler O’Neill (0 for 4) striking out swinging, Mullins striking out swinging and Emmanuel Rivera (0 for 2, BB) grounding out to first.

Jackson Holliday went 1 for 4.

Starter Tomoyuki Sugano (4-3) did all he could, allowing 4 runs on 6 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts over 6.1 innings. He was victimized by back-to-back third inning homeruns by DaShawn Keirsey, Jr (two-run) and Byron Buxton (solo) and ultimately was tagged with the loss.

Cionel Perez (1.2 IP, BB, K) and Seranthony Dominguez (1.0 IP, H, BB, K), pitching out of the bullpen, held the Twins in check. Maybe it is time for the pitching staff to sue the offense for non-support.

There was post-game confidence that the “struggling” Washington Nations are coming to town for the weekend and that bodes well for the Orioles. It must be pointed out that the same thing was said when the Orioles faced the ‘struggling” Twins and “struggling” LA Angels last week and the Birds went 2-4 on that trip and were swept by the Twins just as what was witnessed over the past two days.

Time may simply be running out to right the ship.

BOX SCORE

2025 Record: 15-27

Next Game: Fri. 5/16 @ 7:05 pm vs. Washington Nationals

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