Clearly disgruntled after being swept by the Oakland Athletics to open the season's second half, the Minnesota Twins came out with a vengeance on Monday night at Target Field, pouring in seven runs against the Orioles in the first inning alone to break the game wide open.
Despite only picking up one extra-base hit in the inning, a bases clearing double from the bat of Denard Span, the Twins routinely punished Baltimore starter Chris Tillman and eventually forced him to the showers after just two outs. Tillman was first beaten by a Joe Mauer RBI single that scored No. 2 hitter Ben Revere, and then had the unfortunate task of dealing with an error by his third baseman Mark Reynolds that also scored a pair of runs.
Hoping to fend off Baltimore hitters with a big advantage on the scoreboard already, Twins starter Scott Diamond is in prime position for his eighth victory of the season if he can remain composed.
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