O's bats silenced Saturday night at Minnesota

Well, every time you think maybe the O's offense is coming to life, it doesn't happen. They could not follow up the seven run, 12-hit win over the Twins and Francisco Liriano on Saturday night. Scott Baker, who had pitched to an ERA of 7.56 over his previous three starts, shut down the O's in Minnesota's 6-1 win that split the doubleheader. Tonight he gave up just three hits over eight innings. Luke Scott's solo homer to right in the fifth snapped his 1 for 20 drought, providing the only Baltimore run. Scott's last two hits have been homers. Kevin Millwood gave up three runs and took the loss. The O's have scored 17 runs in his seven starts, just 12 while he was in the game. Sunday's game got a little bigger with tonight's result. Now the O's need to win it to win the series and complete a 3-4 road trip. A 3-4 mark would be respectable going through New York and Minnesota. Some other notes after this loss: Millwood falls to 0-8, 5.71 in 13 career starts vs. Minnesota. The Twins are one of three teams he has never beaten along with Texas and Atlanta. Millwood threw 111 pitches and has thrown 109 or more in five straight starts. O's pitchers have produced 15 quality starts in 31 games. Baker improves to 4-0, 2.52 in six career starts vs. the Birds. He has allowed just 3 ER over 21 innings in his last three starts vs. Baltimore. The Orioles were held to one run or less for the ninth time on the season. They have scored 17 runs during a 2-4 road trip. The O's bullpen had given up just 1 ER in 14 innings over a six-game stretch, then allowed three runs in one inning on Saturday night. Nick Markakis went 0 for 4, snapping an eight-game batting streak during which he hit .448. In the minors Saturday night, Brandon Erbe struggled again for Norfolk. He gave up six runs and nine hits over 5 2/3 and his ERA is 7.20. The Tides have put Jim Johnson on the DL with right elbow inflammation. Tim Bascom gave up two runs over six innings vs. Trenton and has an ERA of 2.78. Trenton scored two in the last of the 9th though, to beat Bowie, 4-3. Billy Rowell hit a solo homer in Fredrick's 2-1 loss to Wilmington. The blast traveled over all three tiers of fencing in right field. Delmarva SS Garabez Rosa went 3 for 4 as his average rose to .363. Sunday at 2:10, Brian Matusz (2-2, 3.93) pitches for the Orioles vs. Twins righty Nick Blackburn (2-1, 5.79). Matusz is 0-0, 5.40 in one career start vs. Minnesota while Blackburn is 0-2, 8.38 in two career starts vs. Baltimore.