Rosario’s homers, robbery key Game 1 win

April 20th, 2019

BALTIMORE -- continued his impressive tear, hitting two home runs for the second consecutive game as the Twins held on for a 6-5 victory Saturday over the Orioles in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

“The guy has about as confident an approach as any player that I’ve ever seen,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Rosario before the game, and the left fielder continued to make his 0-for-11 start to the season a distant memory.

Rosario led off the second inning with a blast to right off Baltimore starter Dan Straily to open the scoring, then sneaked another one just inside the right-field foul pole in the fifth to tie the score at 3-3. The homers give him eight in his last 14 games; during that stretch, Rosario is hitting .345 with 18 RBIs.

Minnesota took control of the game in the sixth, as Byron Buxton delivered a two-run double and Nelson Cruz chipped in with an RBI single to open up a 6-3 advantage. Rosario helped keep the Twins ahead with a home run robbery of Chris Davis at the left-field wall. Heading into Game 2, the Twins have won seven straight against the Orioles.

Jose Berrios wasn’t at his best, but he picked up the win after giving up eight hits and four earned runs over six innings of work. He allowed three solo homers, yet improved to 3-0 in four career starts at Camden Yards. Taylor Rogers pitched the final two innings, allowing one run while striking out five for his second save of the season.