September 28, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Emmanuel Rivera (26) celebrates a solo shot against the Minnesota Twins in the fifth inning at Target Field Base hit. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images The Baltimore Orioles have one more warm-up game before heading into the playoffs.
Baltimore (90-71) will close out the regular season on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Twins (82-79). The Orioles are set for a three-game sweep after winning 7-2 in Friday's series opener and 9-2 on Saturday.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he likes what he's seeing from his team during their 4-1 record on the road as the team prepares to host a wild-card playoff series next week.
“A lot of guys played really well on this road trip, so I'm encouraged about our performance going into the playoffs,” Hyde said.
Meanwhile, the Twins will play one final game before entering a long offseason that includes uncertainty about the future of their head coach and roster. Twins fans chanted “Fire Rocco” during the final game — a reference to their dissatisfaction with coach Rocco Baldelli and the team's collapse in the final six weeks of the season.
As of August 16, the Twins had 16 games over .500.
Twins right-hander Bailey Ober, who is expected to start in the finale, said he and his teammates were responsible for the late-season loss.
“I think most of the blame should go to the players,” Ober said. “But everyone is entitled to their opinion. If the players heard this, I don't think anyone really agrees with that. It's like, seriously, can't you see what's going on? He's not this time The person at fault for the accident that happened.
The Orioles plan to start right-hander Albert Suarez (8-7, 3.74 ERA) in the final game of the regular season. The 34-year-old will make his 32nd appearance and 24th start this year.
Suarez will try to bounce back from back-to-back losses to the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers. In his most recent start against Detroit, he allowed four runs on five hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out six.
This will be the second time in Suarez's career against the Twins. In his first start on April 17, he pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed three hits.
Minnesota will face Ober (12-8, 3.94) in its final game. Ober struck out 187 in 173 2/3 innings.
In his most recent outing, Ober allowed four runs on eight hits in five innings against the Miami Marlins. He walked two and struck out seven.
This will be Ober's third career game against the Orioles. In his first two starts, he went 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA. He walked three and struck out 13 in 13 innings.
Orioles infielder Emmanuel Rivera will try to keep the plate hot after going 4-for-4 with a double, two home runs and four RBIs on Saturday. That performance gave him five home runs this season, including four in 26 games since joining Baltimore from the Miami Marlins.
“This is really special,” Rivera said through an interpreter. “I think every baseball player wants to have a night like tonight, and thankfully I was able to have one tonight.”
–Scene-level media