Their contributions to this struggling team on Thursday night were sure worthy of a longer stay.
Slegers picked up his first major league win with six smooth innings, Cave reached base all four times he batted, and the Twins stopped their six-game losing streak by hanging on for a 5-2 victory over the lowly Baltimore Orioles.
”I know that I think, and I know Slegers thinks the same thing, that we can play big league baseball,” Cave said. ”We’re ready to go anytime the team needs us, and that’s just kind of how you’ve got to think of it.”
Logan Morrison homered and Cave drove in an eighth-inning insurance run with one of his two doubles for the Twins, who turned to Fernando Rodney in the ninth for his 18th save following two consecutive blown chances. Slegers (1-0) gave up only one run, on the first of two homers by Jonathan Schoop.
”It’s fun to have that in the stat column, to be a major league winner,” Slegers said. ”I can say that for the rest of my life.”
With eight right-handers in the Orioles lineup, except for Chris Davis, Slegers put his sinker to good use against the second-lowest scoring team in MLB. The Orioles managed just three hits against the 6-foot-10 Slegers, who was the latest to fill the recently revolving fifth spot in the rotation. Manager Paul Molitor stopped short of a commitment, but he indicated Slegers earned another turn after needing only 72 pitches to complete those six innings in his first major league start this season.
”Sometimes you make tough decisions to protect those young guys when they’ve had good outings and make sure they feel good when they come out of the game,” Molitor said.
The Orioles squandered another quality start by Andrew Cashner (2-9) and lost for the 10th time in 11 games. They have the worst record in the major leagues at 24-62, just the team the Twins needed to face to start a season-long 11-game homestand after a pivotal 1-8 road trip.
Trailing AL Central-leading Cleveland by 11 1/2 games Trysten Hill Jersey , Minnesota has become a probable seller before the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31 with several accomplished players on expiring contracts. Baltimore has essentially been in that boat since April, with slugging shortstop Manny Machado widely considered the best asset on the market this summer.
CASHED OUT
Cashner, one of the offseason acquisitions by the Orioles that suggested their commitment to contending in the daunting AL East, has had more than three runs scored for him in only one of his 17 starts this year. He gave up three runs, two earned, and six hits.
”It’s not like we didn’t want to score for him,” Schoop said. ”I hope things start changing.”
Orioles starters have received the least amount of run support in the major leagues this season.
”I probably had the worst stuff I’ve had this season, but I thought I just grinded throughout the game,” Cashner said. ”When you’re not scoring runs, I feel like I keep my mind sharp on what I want to do out there and thinking pitch to pitch.”
WHOOPS
Cashner was charged with an error in the third, when he was covering first base on a chopper hit by Bobby Wilson to Davis and fumbled the relay toss to let Cave score from second. Wilson eventually scored on a single by Eddie Rosario.
WHIFFS
Rodney struck out Davis to start a perfect ninth, pushing the sputtering slugger into a first-place tie on the Orioles list for strikeouts with 1,305. He is tied with Cal Ripken Jr., who played 3,001 games for Baltimore. Davis has appeared in 972 contests.
MAN, CAVE
Cave, who was recalled from Rochester last week http://www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com/authentic-connor-mcgovern-jersey , made a fully extended catch at the wall in right-center to take a potential extra-base hit away from Davis in the fourth inning. Cave doubled twice, driving in one run, to go with a single and an intentional walk.
”He can really flash it out there,” Slegers said.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles: RHP Darren O’Day (strained left hamstring) has been scheduled for his season-ending surgery on July 12. He’ll need six months to recover.
DOZIER’S DAY
Twins second baseman Brian Dozier, who has started 80 of 84 games and appeared in all but one this season, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. He’s batting .218.
UP NEXT
Orioles: RHP Dylan Bundy (6-7, 3.75 ERA) will come off the DL to start Friday night. Bundy has been sidelined by a sprained left ankle.
Twins: RHP Lance Lynn (5-7, 5.49 ERA) will take the mound in the second game of the series, coming off his worst turn of the season. He gave up seven runs in Chicago to the Cubs in just 1 2/3 innings.
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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers right tackle Jason Spriggs saw no need to keep going on and on about Bears linebacker Khalil Mack.More Packers coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryThere’s plenty of film to watch. The rest of that Chicago defense is pretty good, too.Now Green Bay must face the NFC’s top-ranked unit on the road on Sunday, a week after Chicago tripped up the high-octane Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field.“You don’t have to go on and rant about how good Khalil is and all that stuff. Everybody knows who Khalil Mack is for a reason,” said Spriggs, who started last week for veteran Bryan Bulaga. “I think he brings a level of confidence to everybody on the defense, and we just have to key on that and make hay when we get the chances.”The right side of the Packers’ line could especially be a pressure point if Spriggs Tony Pollard Jersey , a third-year player, starts again. Bulaga missed practice again Wednesday with a knee injury.Justin McCray appears to have taken over the right guard spot after starter Byron Bell (knee) went on injured reserve Wednesday. McCray started last week. Another backup, Lucas Patrick, started at left guard for Lane Taylor, who has a foot injury.The results for Green Bay’s backup-littered line were encouraging last week against Atlanta in a victory that snapped a three-game losing streak and kept slim playoff hopes alive.After allowing four sacks in the first half, the Packers (5-7-1) didn’t allow one the rest of the game. Aaron Rodgers and the offense were effective throwing quick, short passes in winning Joe Philbin’s debut as interim head coach and offensive play caller.“I wouldn’t say the concepts were basic, but I thought the flow was really good,” Rodgers said. “Joe did a great job. The communication was great on the sideline and the flow was good and kind of got into a rhythm.”Philbin has made it a point to mostly stick to the same routines the Packers had under fired predecessor Mike McCarthy. While it’s difficult to go through a coaching change, players have said that they appreciate the relatively smooth transition.“I mean, he kind of fit into the role pretty seamlessly,” left tackle David Bakhtiari said. “He’s done a great job adding his spin to it, yet keeping kind of the integrity of the schedule, so it’s not completely different after having guys who were used to something for so long.“So overall it’s been pretty fluid, even in the first week,” he added.There is no sense changing things up so dramatically when it will be a tough enough task to hold off the Bears.The Packers, though Noah Fant Jersey , do have an intangible going into Sunday that the Rams lacked: Green Bay has won eight straight at Soldier Field. The run started with Green Bay’s victory in the NFC title game on Jan. 23, 2011.There’s also a confidence boost that comes with the Packers’ stirring rally in the season opener in September, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter for a 24-23 win over Chicago. The game marked Mack’s debut with the Bears following his trade from the Oakland Raiders.Rodgers returned at halftime from a left knee injury to add to the drama The Packers went no-huddle in the second half of that game, though Rodgers stayed primarily in the pocket. It was the Packers’ offense at its best.“I mean getting into a rhythm, not only just as an offensive line, but just as an offense in general,” Bakhtiari said about the key takeaway from that night.Rodgers is healthier now with the ability to scramble out of trouble again. Mack, who has 10 sacks and six forced fumbles, has the benefit playing nearly an entire season in the Bears’ scheme. The linebacker has been mainly lining up on the right side of the defense in recent weeks, though he can easily switch sides.Respect Mack and be prepared. But don’t get caught up in the star power, Spriggs said.“You can’t go out there and be like you’re blocking God,” Spriggs said. “But at the same time, you give respect where respect’s due.”NOTES: Taylor was limited in practice Wednesday. … DL Kenny Clark (elbow) and CB Bashaud Breeland (groin/not injury related) missed practice.