Santana's dominance, Bleier on his outing and other notes

It might be frustrating for Orioles players and fans alike, but on some nights, you just get beat and there is little you can do about it but move on to the next one.

Minnesota right-hander Ervin Santana has been a pretty special pitcher this year and the Orioles saw it firsthand last night. A night after a 14-7 loss, they lost 2-0 as Santana two-hit them.

The right-hander outdueled Dylan Bundy and is now 7-2 with an ERA of 1.80. Santana began the night with an ERA of 0.45 on the road for the season and he then lowered that. He began the night with a batting average against of .144 which led the majors and then he lowered that to .134. He began the night with one shutout and added another. He's the only pitcher in the major leagues with two.

For Trey Mancini, it was a night where the O's had a good idea what was coming, but that didn't mean they could square it up.

"You can do all the preparation you want to, but these are the best pitchers in the world. He brought it tonight and he beat us," he said.

Mancini was a little disappointed that his club's offense could not get any runs for Bundy, who took a loss despite giving up just two runs over seven innings.

"You always want to put up runs for your pitchers and help them get a win," he said. "As an offense, it is not a great feeling when you can't do that. He pitched a good game tonight for us and did his part. He did a great job out there."

Bundy recorded his ninth quality start in 10 outings. He is 5-3 with an ERA of 2.92. In five home starts, he is 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA. Bundy continues to show poise when he gets into jams. American League batters are hitting just .196 against him when he pitches with runners in scoring position. They are batting .056 (1-for-18) when he pitches with RISP and two outs.

The Orioles rotation has produced 10 starts this year of seven innings or more. Bundy has four, Wade Miley has three, Ubaldo Jiménez has two and Kevin Gausman has one.

In the late innings last night, left-handed reliever Richard Bleier provided the Orioles a solid outing. He pitched scoreless ball over the eighth and ninth innings with two strikeouts on just 22 pitches.

"Just trying to mix it up and keep them off balance and execute pitches and really keep the ball down," Bleier said.

Acquired by the Orioles from the Yankees on Feb. 21 for a player to be named, the 30-year-old Bleier has been on the Triple-A Norfolk/Baltimore shuttle a few times already. Yes, it can be a challenge for a pitcher going back and forth between the minors and majors. But Bleier said it also means you do get a chance in the majors to show what you can do.

"Whenever I have an opportunity up here, I need to try my hardest to take advantage of it," he said. "We know they will make roster moves, so whenever I get a chance, I just try my best to help the team. I'm sure there are a lot of guys that would love to be in my shoes right now."

After pitching to a 1.96 ERA in 23 games for the Yankees in 2016, Bleier has enjoyed his first couple of months in the Orioles organization.

"It's been a great experience," he said. "I mean, to play for a really good team with such good players, it's nice to be a part of this group."

Minnesota has one of the best road records in the majors and they have won this series by taking the first two games. The Orioles had won all seven home series this year until running into this Twins team, which is 13-5 on the road. Minnesota is 8-1 in its last nine road games and 11-2 in its last 13 away from Target Field.

The Orioles were shut out for the second time this year. They were also two-hit and were blanked 2-0 April 25 by Tampa Bay. This was the first time the Twins shut out the Orioles since July 22, 2010 at Oriole Park.

O's starting pitchers have now recorded four quality starts over the last five outings, pitching to an ERA of 3.90.

Last night's game was yet another the club has played decided by two runs or fewer. In fact, 13 of the last 14 Orioles games have been decided by one or two runs.

Today at 12:35 p.m., the Orioles will get another challenge in the series finale facing 22-year-old right-hander José Berríos. He is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.59 in two starts. Earlier at Triple-A Rochester, he went 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in six starts.