MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s never really been in doubt: for the Twins to be at their best, Royce Lewis needs to be at his best. And there’s good news: Lewis appears to be as close to his best as he’s been in a very long time.
Lewis smoked two doubles, continuing a torrid stretch at the plate, as Minnesota rallied from two early deficits to beat the Orioles, 7-5, at Target Field on Wednesday. It was the Twins’ first series win since before the Trade Deadline, and it temporarily pulled them to within one game of the third American League Wild Card spot.
It was a breakout game throughout a Twins lineup that has scuffled for much of the second half. Josh Bell and Alan Roden had three hits each, and every starter but Ryan Kreidler had at least one run or an RBI.
But there are few players in Minnesota's lineup, or anywhere really, who have the kind of upside potential that Lewis presents. And after seeming to be at sea for much of the past two seasons, the former No. 1 overall Draft pick has very much found a groove lately.
With the Twins trailing, 4-1, in the third, Lewis doubled down the left-field line against O's starter Shane Baz to start a four-run rally that put Minnesota ahead for good. And in the fifth, Lewis smoked another ball to a similar location for an RBI double that stretched the lead to three runs.
Even his outs are loud. In Lewis’ first at-bat, he had his hardest-hit ball of the day, hammering a ball 103.6 mph off the bat that took O’s left fielder Dylan Beavers to the wall.