BALTIMORE _ Not only are the Twins winning road games at a startling pace, but they're doing it almost sadistically, giving home teams the illusion that they're vulnerable. In the space of 45 hours at Camden Yards, the Twins rallied from a 5-0 deficit for one win, then scratched out only two runs yet captured a second.
And Wednesday's 4-3 victory, completing a convincing sweep of the proud and dangerous Orioles, was the cruelest of all: The Twins let dead-pull slugger Chris Davis, who had already homered one inning earlier, come to the plate not only with the tying run at second base, but ahead 3-0 in the count.
Then Taylor Rogers froze him, getting three consecutive called strikes.
"That was a killer," said Brian Dozier, whose error one batter earlier forced Rogers to stare down the Orioles' long-ball specialist. "That's a great job, against a guy who can turn around the game. To throw a breaking ball on 3-and-2? He just froze. That's pretty good."
It's just one of many pretty good things about the Twins these days. The major leagues' best road team completed its first three-game sweep wearing gray uniforms in almost exactly one year, riding another strong start from Jose Berrios and those critical outs from the bullpen. Minnesota has won four straight games overall and six of its last seven, but it's on the road where the Twins have really shined: They have won nine of their last 10 and are an MLB-best 14-5 outside Minnesota.
"We feel good that we've competed as highly as we have on a daily basis," said manager Paul Molitor. "There's something to be said for confidence, particularly when you're talking about a younger core of players. When it's going the right way, it kind of feeds on itself."
The Twins fed on Orioles starter Chris Tillman, at least for a couple of innings, staking Berrios to a 4-0 lead before he'd thrown 10 pitches. But that's all the offense Minnesota could muster, putting the onus on the young starter _ he turns 23 on Saturday _ and the bullpen to make it hold up. Berrios wasn't quite as sharp as in his first two starts of the season, hardly a surprise since he had given up only one run in 151/3 innings. But considering the opponent and the venue _ the Orioles in their homer-happy iconic ballpark _ it may have been just as impressive: four hits and two walks in 61/3 innings, while striking out seven.
Three of the four hits were solo home runs, however, allowing the Orioles to rally despite Berrios' ability to frustrate them with letter-high fastballs and curves in the dirt. Adam Jones grew so frustrated, he slammed his bat on the plate after flailing at a 95-mph, shoulder-high fastball for strike three.
"I learned that from Ervin (Santana), I learned that from Hector (Santiago)," Berrios said. "Throw the ball harder upstairs, because if you don't they'll hit it hard."
J.J. Hardy, Davis and Jonathan Schoop did hit it hard, sending the ball flying into the stands; Schoop's ended Berrios' day. But Rogers took the mound in the eighth with that 4-3 lead still intact, and the top of the Orioles' order, mostly right-handed, coming up.
"I had (Matt) Belisle ready, or (Brandon) Kintzler for a four-out save," Molitor said. "But you just trust your gut a little bit on the matchups."
The lefty Rogers gave up a leadoff single, but struck out Jones, got Manny Machado to pop up and forced Mark Trumbo to hit a grounder that glanced off Dozier's glove.
"I should have made the play for sure," Dozier said, relieved. "Especially with Davis coming up."
Rogers threw three curveballs, "bad pitches," he said, to fall behind 3-0. But he came back with a pair of 93-mph fastballs across the plate that Davis looked at.
And then? "Not even a doubt, I was going to go right back to the curveball. It's my bread-and-butter. I'll live and die with that," Rogers said. He lived, because Davis appeared shocked at the 80-mph curve, and didn't swing. Strike three.
"I was pretty pumped up for it," Rogers said. "It's a big situation."
