Kepler homers twice in Twins' win over Orioles

Max Kepler homered twice as Minnesota hit five home runs for the second straight day and defeated the visiting Baltimore Orioles 9-2 in a Saturday matinee.

The five homers upped Minnesota's total to 21 in five games against the Orioles this season. Kepler homered in the seventh and eighth innings and finished with four RBIs while C.J. Cron, Jason Castro and Marwin Gonzalez also went deep.

Gonzalez, Castro and Kepler homered in a four-run eighth against Jimmy Yacabonis. Castro and Kepler went back-to-back. The Twins also hit five homers in their 6-1 victory in Friday's series opener.

Minnesota is 5-0 this season against the Orioles and has won 11 straight dating back to 2018.

Jose Berrios (4-1) earned the victory by giving up two runs on seven hits in six innings, his second win over the Orioles in a week.

Baltimore starter Dan Straily got a no-decision and gave up one run on three hits. But he lasted just four innings as the right-hander needed 89 pitches get through those frames.

The Orioles suffered a big loss in the first inning when top hitter Trey Mancini appeared to have injured his right hand or wrist during an at-bat. He blooped a single to center but came out after getting to first base.

Mancini came into the game leading the American League in hits and now has 39 with a .355 average, but there was no official word during the game about his condition.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead on Kepler's sacrifice fly in the third. Straily's throwing error helped set that up, and Willians Astudillo scored on the play.

Astudillo came out after the third due to hamstring tightness.

The Orioles tied the game on a Rio Ruiz single in the fourth. They took the lead when Hanser Alberto -- batting in Mancini's spot -- singled with two outs in the fifth.

But Minnesota then started its power game. The Twins grabbed the lead back at 3-2 in the sixth when Cron hit a two-run homer off of Paul Fry (0-1) with two outs.

Tanner Scott came on to pitch for Baltimore in the seventh, and Kepler hit a two-run homer to right field for a 5-2 lead.

--Field Level Media