The first two Twins pitchers -- Armando Gabino and Philip Humber -- walked a total of seven batters in 3 2/3 innings, but the Orioles still may regret not making more of back-to-back opportunities with the bases loaded.
Humber walked in a run in both the third and fourth innings, but he also got a couple of generous ball-strike calls from home plate umpire Gary Darling to avert a total middleman meltdown.
Darling kept him alive against Cesar Izturis long enough to get out of the third, then gave him a shoulder-high fastball on a 2-0 pitch to Luke Scott with the sacks packed and one out in the fourth. Don't know how much sympathy Scott deserves, however, since he stared at a 2-2 curveball that got way too much plate to go by unmolested in a bases-full situation. The O's were fortunate to get their fifth run when Darling gave Matt Wieters the benefit of the doubt on a borderline breaking ball a few minutes later.
Five runs in four innings is nothing to sneeze at, but this game should not be this close, not after the O's put a total of 13 runners on base.
