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Orioles-Twins Preview

May 8, 2016 - 10:49 PM In what's looking more and more like a lost season, the Minnesota Twins are already turning their attention to the future.

Jose Berrios will be back in the spotlight in Monday night's series opener with the Baltimore Orioles in the promising rookie's follow-up to his first major league win.

Owning the AL's worst record and having lost nine of 10, Minnesota (8-23) hopes it can find a silver lining in a talented young core that includes Berrios (1-1, 6.75 ERA), the organization's top pitching prospect. The 21-year-old offered a glimpse of his vast potential by outperforming Dallas Keuchel in his second major league start and helping deal the reigning Cy Young winner his first home loss since August 2014 on Wednesday.

Berrios allowed a pair of solo homers but just three hits over 5 1/3 innings in the 6-2 victory, offsetting five walks by registering eight strikeouts.

"He was unbelievable," catcher John Ryan Murphy, who's since been sent to Triple A in a recent roster shakeup, told MLB's official website. "He's an ultra-competitor. His stuff is electric. He's only going to get better, because his work ethic is through the roof."

Minnesota starters rank last in the AL with a 5.05 ERA but have received positive early results from Berrios and 25-year-old Tyler Duffey, who fanned nine over seven innings in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Duffey received little support from an offense that went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and is hitting .207 during the Twins' five-game losing streak.

"We're at the point that we are looking for some encouraging points to what we're doing," manager Paul Molitor said. "For Duff to step up and give us seven innings, it was solid and certainly gave a lot of guys a little relief in the bullpen.''

Minnesota similarly struggled at the plate when swept in a season-opening series at Baltimore from April 4-6. The Twins mustered six runs and struck out 35 times in three losses.

Baltimore (18-12) had little trouble producing runs last time out, hitting a season-high six homers in Sunday's 11-3 win over Oakland. Manny Machado had a grand slam and a two-run shot, while Mark Trumbo and Jonathan Schoop also went deep while collecting three hits each.

"It's about time that we got into a nice little groove," said Machado, hitting .400 with three homers and 11 RBIs over his last 10 games. "We went out and put some good swings on some good pitches."

Machado owns a .410 average with two homers in nine games at Target Field, though the Orioles have lost five straight there and went winless in seven overall meetings with Minnesota last season. Schoop is batting .350 over an 11-game hitting streak, one short of matching a career high.

Tyler Wilson (1-1, 3.04) opposes Berrios in the opener of this three-game set and attempts to build off the best of his three 2016 starts, Wednesday's six-inning stint against the Yankees in which he allowed two earned runs and four hits in a 7-0 loss.

Wilson threw three scoreless innings against the Twins on April 4 after entering the game in the third following a lengthy rain delay.

He'll face a Minnesota lineup that hopes to have both Brian Dozier and Kurt Suzuki back in it. Dozier didn't start any of the three games in Chicago due to a hamstring strain but pinch-hit on Sunday, while Suzuki sat out the finale with neck tightness.