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Jul 22, 2010 - 1:35 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Minnesota (50-45) at Baltimore (30-64), 7:05 p.m. EDT

Carl Pavano went the distance in his latest start, doing so for the third time in the past month as he has turned into the workhorse of the Minnesota Twins' rotation.

Kevin Millwood's last trip to the mound, like most starts he's made against Minnesota, was hardly a pleasant experience.

Signs seem to point to a mismatch when the Twins visit the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night, with Pavano seeking a seventh straight victory and Millwood looking to end his career-long woes against Minnesota.

Starting pitching generally hasn't been the Twins strong suit, with a 4.62 ERA and a .284 opponents' average both ranking among the worst in the majors.

Pavano (11-6, 3.48 ERA), however, has posted impressive numbers in both categories over the past six weeks as the Twins (50-45) have watched him emerge as their top starter. The right-hander has gone 6-0 with a 2.74 ERA in his last eight starts while holding the opposition to a .204 average.

He pitched his third complete game in six starts to beat Chicago 3-2 on Saturday.

"It was a huge performance for us. Everything seems to go well when a starting pitcher does things like that," manager Ron Gardenhire told the team's official website.

Pavano is 4-3 with a 3.28 ERA in eight career starts versus Baltimore (30-64). He'll want to pitch carefully to Corey Patterson and Miguel Tejada, as Patterson is 10 for 17 (.588) against him and Tejada is 5 for 8 with a homer.

It seems everyone is successful against Millwood (2-8, 5.77) these days. The right-hander has gone 2-3 with a 9.89 ERA in his last seven starts, allowing 58 hits in 33 2-3 innings.

He has not pitched since July 5 at Detroit, when he gave up five runs and lasted one inning, leaving without a decision in a 12-9 loss. Millwood went on the DL with a strained right forearm the next day.

The veteran has allowed 25 first-inning runs in his last 10 starts.

"It's been a tough stretch," Millwood told the Orioles' official website. "And I have tried a lot of different things to come out of it and change things, and just haven't been able to do (it)."

Facing the Twins doesn't seem like the best way for him to bounce back, as Millwood is 0-8 with a 5.71 ERA in 13 starts against them. Jim Thome is 6 for 10 with three homers against Millwood, while Orlando Hudson is 7 for 11.

Minnesota was in danger of heading to Baltimore having been swept by last-place Cleveland, but salvaged Wednesday's finale. Delmon Young had three hits and drove in three runs while Francisco Liriano pitched seven strong innings in a 6-0 victory.

"This team can do a lot of things if we get pitching like that," said third base coach Scott Ullger, who ran the team while Gardenhire tended to a personal matter.

Young's production has been critical while Justin Morneau (concussion) continues to recover. The former No. 1 overall pick is hitting .400 with nine RBIs since the All-Star break.

The Orioles went into the break on a four-game winning streak, but they have returned to form in the second half. Baltimore fell behind 4-0 after three innings Wednesday in losing 5-4 to Tampa Bay, its fifth defeat in six games.

The Orioles were 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, dropping that average to a major-league worst .226. Minnesota (.289) leads the majors in that category.