Reusse: Twins again show they will have to do more than beat up on Royals

Cole Irvin dazzled the Twins on Friday night at Target Field, which is something that had not happened for him other than when he faced Kansas City a month ago.

If we've learned anything in the first 55% of this strange baseball season, it would be not to put too much stock into anything accomplished when facing those young, woeful Royals.

Those five one-run innings vs. Kansas City still left Irvin with a 6.32 ERA as he took the mound for the second time in six days vs. the Twins.

Irvin also gave up the Twins only run in a 2-1 O's victory on Sunday, but that wasn't really his fault. He gave the Twins nine baserunners in those five innings, and our non-opportunists somehow turned those into one run.

Baltimore then rallied against Jhoan Duran, of all people, for a 2-1 victory to avoid a series sweep. Disappointing, but the next three were at home vs. Kansas City, and the sweep put the Twins at 9-1 vs. the Royals.

The fact the Twins managed 22 runs in those three games also led to some Ballyhooing that perhaps the hitting woes were being put in the rearview mirror.

Then, Irvin strode to the hill, lasted 6⅓ innings and permitted the Twins three baserunners. He did receive assistance when center fielder Cedric Mullins went just above the center-field fence to take a three-run homer away from Byron Buxton in the fourth inning. Mullins took also took a ball high off the wall against Bad Luck Buck last Sunday as well.

All in all, it was a hitting performance that was remindful of the good old days — meaning June 28, when the players called a "Come to Carlos" meeting in the visitors' clubhouse in Atlanta.

Team leader Carlos Correa would not be so bold as to brand the gathering as such, but as involved as he is in meetings at the mound, etc. … I'm going with it, for alliteration if nothing else.

Starter Bailey Ober was not as brilliant as in last Saturday's 1-0 victory at Baltimore — seven innings, no runs, 23 batters and one three-ball count in that one.

On Friday, he did go six innings with one run allowed, and was looking at 1-0 in reverse, until Willi Castro drove in a tying run in the seventh as he faced Mahtomedi's Mike Baumann.

The 1-1 lasted through nine, with Duran and the O's mountain of magnificence, Felix Bautista, putting up zeroes. Rookie Edouard Julien did manage a very loud foul as a pinch hitter vs. Bautista, which was an accomplishment for Twins hitters.

And then a strange thing happened: Duran came out for a second inning of work in the 10th, and he allowed both the gift runner and the doubling Ramon Urias to score.

Orioles 3, Twins 1. Baltimore is now 52-35, which is second-best in the American League, and only three games behind the slumping Rays in the East Division.

A week ago, I asked a Baltimore friend why the O's weren't drawing crowds.

The response: "Three straight full seasons with 100-plus losses and lost nearly half of their season ticket sales. Plus, a good percentage of their fans are waiting to see if this for real."

Beating Duran twice in a week makes the O's look mighty real from out here in Minnesota. And nobody could look more real than the 6-8 Bautista as he blows away hitters — particularly when he has Yennier Cano in front of him.

You remember Cano, don't you, Twins fans? OK, you don't. I'm not sure I did, either.

He was unimpressive in 10 appearances and 13⅔ innings for the Twins last season, and then some genius in the Baltimore front office decided to ask for Cano as a final throw-in the Jorge López trade last season at the trading deadline.

Does seem kind of funny to put Orioles and front-office genius in the same sentence, since it has happened only a couple of times since Frank Cashen was wearing his bowtie six decades ago.

Certainly, it hasn't happened often since the greatest manager in the history of baseball — Earl Weaver — was on top of the dugout, spelling out O's, as a first farewell.

Greatest because of wins, yes, but also quotes, even more important to sportswriters.

Yup, these O's are young, somewhat anonymous and good. As for the Twins, with this hitting, it might take a couple more Come to Carlos meetings to solve this.

I mean, there's three games at Kansas City at the end of this month, and then the Twins are on their own to look competent.