BALTIMORE _ Ervin Santana became the first Twins pitcher since Carl Pavano in 2010 to record two complete-game shutouts in the same season on Tuesday, strangling the Orioles offense on just two harmless singles in the Twins' 2-0 victory at Camden Yards.
Santana surrendered a second-inning single to Wellington Castillo and a fifth-inning single to Jonathan Schoop, and he issued a couple of walks, too. But the 34-year-old Twins ace was virtually perfect otherwise, getting the Orioles to take awkward swings and shake their heads in wonder. Only Schoop reached second base, and no Oriole ever visited third.
The Twins were largely shut down by Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy, too, but broke through in the fifth inning. After Bundy walked Jorge Polanco, and Jason Castro shot a single to right field on a hit-and-run play, Byron Buxton slapped a single through Baltimore's drawn-in infield, scoring Polanco with all the offense Santana would require to post his seventh victory of the season, and his first in Baltimore since 2011.
Brian Dozier smacked a line drive into the left field seats in the seventh inning for good measure, a solo home run that provided Santana a little breathing room. But he hardly appeared to need it, mowing down the Orioles with seemingly little effort. Santana retired the last 14 hitters he faced, the final one on Mark Trumbo's routine ground ball to short. He struck out six in recording his 18th career complete game, and his 10th career shutout, third as a Twin. He also shut out the White Sox, 6-0, on April 15.
The victory was the Twins' third straight and fifth in six games, and made them the first visiting team this season to win a series in Baltimore.
