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Hardy, Wieters homer as Orioles down Twins

Aug 23, 2011 - 3:48 AM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters each smacked home runs as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Twins, 4-1, to open a four- game series.

Zach Britton (7-9) was activated from the disabled list earlier Monday and allowed one run on six hits and four walks to snap his career-high, five-game losing streak. He placed on the DL on August 5 with a left shoulder strain.

Kevin Gregg needed just eight pitches in a perfect ninth to close out the game for his 18th save of the year.

"You can just see by the way our team has been gelling we needed to get that win today. I think we turned it around and we're going to show it," said Orioles reliever Mike Gonzalez.

Carl Pavano (6-10) went seven innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and two walks in the Twins' fourth loss in five games.

Robert Andino led off the third with a single, stole second, moved to third on Nolan Reimold's base hit and crossed the plate on Ryan Adams' single up the middle to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.

A Hardy sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third with one out, but Nick Markakis grounded back to the mound and Adam Jones flied out to center to keep it a one-run game.

After a Ben Revere single and a Trevor Plouffe double put runners on second and third in the bottom half of the inning, Joe Mauer's groundout to short plated Revere and tied the game at one.

Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel worked back-to-back walks to load the bases with two outs, but Jim Thome flied out to left to end the inning.

Baltimore then added a run in three straight innings to take the lead.

In the fifth, Hardy pulled a two-out, solo home run over the wall in left field, and Wieters added a solo shot to right in the sixth.

"I was trying to stay away from the inside part of the plate and the first time I [went there] he hit it out. I had a feeling he was trying to juice something," Pavano said about Hardy's home run.

Hardy worked a one-out walk in the seventh and came around to score on a Markakis double to make it a 4-1 game.

Minnesota entered the game batting .261 with runners in scoring position, but stranded a runner at third in the fourth, a man on second in the fifth and runners on second and third in the seventh. The Twins ended the game 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

Game Notes

Minnesota placed pitcher Nick Blackburn on the 15-day disabled list and recalled pitcher Lester Oliveros from Triple-A Rochester Monday...Baltimore recalled infielder Ryan Adams from Triple-A Norfolk and placed pitcher Jason Berken on the 15-day disabled list Monday...Twins third baseman Danny Valencia and manager Ron Gardenhire were ejected by home plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt in the eighth inning for arguing balls and strikes...Pavano fell to 5-5 lifetime against Baltimore in 11 starts...Baltimore now leads the season series 3-2.