O's use three homers in first three innings to top Twins

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Orioles wasted barely any time before they started hitting balls over the outfield walls of Target Field against Twins right-hander Bailey Ober on Tuesday night.

Pete Alonso swatted a two-run home run before an out was recorded in the top of the first inning, then Gunnar Henderson (second inning) and Christian Encarnacion-Strand (third) also went deep to power Baltimore to a 5-2 win over Minnesota. It was a needed bounce-back victory for the O’s (58-62), who will look to take the series on Wednesday afternoon.

Before Tuesday, the Orioles hadn’t homered in each of the first three innings of a game since June 16, 2024, when Henderson, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman all went deep off Zack Wheeler in an 8-3 win over the Phillies at Camden Yards.

Henderson and Alonso had previously homered in the same game only twice during their first season as Baltimore teammates -- June 19 (a 6-5 loss at the Dodgers) and July 11 (a 6-1 win vs. the Royals). The star duo combined for a big night from the top two spots of the O’s lineup.

After Henderson opened the game with a single, Alonso followed with his team-high 26th home run of the year. Henderson then ended a 14-game homerless stretch with a two-run homer of his own the following inning, his 19th long ball this season.

Henderson and Alonso each collected three hits, with the former finishing a triple shy of a cycle.

Meanwhile, Encarnacion-Strand continued his run as a surprise contributor since getting called up immediately after the All-Star break. His Statcast-projected 460-foot homer off Ober was the longest by an Oriole since Jordan Westburg’s 461-footer on July 5, 2025, at Atlanta.

Encarnacion-Strand hit three homers over his first five games played for Baltimore last month, but the 26-year-old hadn’t gone deep since July 24 against the Braves. He also tallied a season-high-tying three hits, marking his first multi-hit game since July 24 as well.