Emmanuel Rivera went 4 for 4, hitting two home runs and driving in four runs to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Minnesota Twins 9-2 on Saturday night.
Ryan O’Hearn also hit a homer, and Jackson Holliday contributed three hits for the Orioles, who have secured the top wild card spot in the American League. They will face either the Kansas City Royals or the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the playoffs.
“A lot of guys have played really well on this road trip, so I’m encouraged about how we’re playing going into the postseason,” said Orioles manager Brandon Hyde. His team has won four out of five games this week against the Yankees and Twins.
Brooks Lee had two hits for the Twins, who have lost six out of their last seven games and were eliminated from playoff contention on Friday. Ryan Jeffers helped the Twins avoid a shutout with a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning.
Baltimore started with Matt Bowman as its opener, who got the first four outs. Lefty Tucker Davidson (1-0), making his first appearance for the Orioles after spending the season in Triple-A, allowed four hits over 4 2/3 shutout innings to earn the win.
“He’s pitched in some big games in his career and had a nice year in Triple-A,” Hyde said about Davidson. “It was awesome to see him get an opportunity and take full advantage of it tonight.”
Twins starter Zebby Matthews (1-4) only lasted three innings, giving up six runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts.
Matthews started the season at Class-A Cedar Rapids and moved through three minor league levels before making his major league debut on August 13 after the Twins lost starters Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack to injuries.
Matthews won his debut, but the Twins went 2-6 in his last eight starts. Still, manager Rocco Baldelli mentioned that Matthews could be a candidate for the Twins’ rotation next spring.
