3 mini victories in a Baltimore Orioles loss to the Twins

As the Baltimore Orioles opened up the four-game series with the Minnesota Twins with a loss, there was still a lot to be proud of moving forward.

Two things are sure when it comes to the Baltimore Orioles and the game of baseball. One, it’s a long season where not everything goes your way. Two, even if it’s a little, growth in the right direction can go a long way. In game one of the Twins series, both things were true. The Orioles lost, but they grew in small ways inching ever closer to that “rebuild” we all want and need.

Here are the three mini victories from Monday night’s loss to the Twins:

1. Tyler Wells

When we broke down this incoming series, Tyler Wells was a name that things still weren’t too particular about. Wells has been a Brandon Hyde experiment since being picked up in the Rule-5 draft, and so far this season, things have been like an old wooden roller coaster.

However, last night was an exception and maybe a way forward for the towering righty. For starters, he went well into the game before even allowing a hit, and after that, things stayed concrete. Wells went five strong, only allowing one earned run, striking out four, and scattering four hits. He has struck out eight in his last two outings and only allowed three runs.

Three mini victories in a Baltimore Orioles loss to the Twins

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2. Tyler Nevin

Maybe it’s its newness, or perhaps it’s a desire to have another young bat with heat, but either way, Tyler Nevin has been on the up-n-up since getting the call up last week. Nevin got himself his second hit of the new campaign and the first hit of last night’s game.

Last night had something extraordinary happen because Tyler Nevin has gotten on base in every game played since coming up to the big leagues. With Gutierrez getting DFA’d, expect to see Nevin a lot more moving forward and really adding a rotation to the infield.

3. Paul Fry

Sorry, the Baltimore Orioles don’t have another Tyler on the team, so we cant go three for three on feel-good Tyler stories. However, Paul Fry looked like the Fry of old last evening. Fry came on last night in the top of the ninth facing Polanco, Kepler, and Miranda.

Fry completed his attempt at a so-called “trust” inning by grounding out Polanco, striking out the lefty Max Kepler, and popping up the debutant Miranda in 10 pitches. We all know how well the Baltimore Orioles bullpen is doing, so it will be a welcomed addition if Fry can get going again.

Last night was a night of head-scratching for the Orioles’ offense as they continued to look flat yet promising. Things will undoubtedly change if the pitching can stay successful and the bats can come alive. If there is such a thing as a feel-good loss, this was it against the AL Central division leaders.