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MINNEAPOLIS -- The heart of the Baltimore Orioles lineup was beating strong on Wednesday afternoon at Target Field. The trio of Adam Jones, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo -- the three, four, five hitters in the Orioles lineup -- combined for 10 hits, four homers, nine RBIs and seven runs scored as Baltimore trounced the Minnesota Twins 9-2.
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All three hitters had at least one home run. Trumbo hit two and Davis was a mere inches from hitting his second homer in the sixth inning, instead settling for an RBI double.
Jones and Davis each had four hits while Davis had four RBIs and finished a triple short of the cycle.
"That's huge for our offense when we can swing the bats like that, especially in a place like this where it's a bigger park," Davis said. "The weather wasn't necessarily home run-friendly. I'm proud of the way the guys are going up there with their at-bats, really focusing on one pitch, and not missing it."
Eight different Baltimore hitters had at least one hit, making the job easy for right-hander Tyler Wilson, who worked seven strong innings. He allowed two runs on six hits and fanned two while walking one, coaxing 12 outfield fly-ball outs.
"That's what it's all about, hands down, maybe twice as many outfield put-outs as I've ever had in my career," Wilson said. "I just wanted to go out there and challenge contact, get in the situation. I didn't have my best command in general today and I really wanted to make sure I didn't fall behind guys. When you don't have your best command, it's really important to get contact early in counts."
Baltimore won the final two games of the three-game series after the first was postponed until July on Monday. The Orioles have won four straight games, their longest winning streak since starting the season 7-0.
Minnesota has lost seven consecutive games and has dropped 11 of its past 12 games.
Phil Hughes (1-6) took the loss for Minnesota, allowing five runs on six hits over four innings. Three of the hits he surrendered were home runs, and his six losses are the most in the majors.
"It's been a miserable few starts, these last three anyway," Hughes said. "Missing over the plate a lot, losing my identity as a pitcher a little bit. I take a lot of pride in being aggressive and attacking over the zone. I feel like I'm tentative right now and not attacking with my best stuff.
"This is a team that, if you make too many mistakes, they're gonna make you pay for it. That's what they did today."
Trumbo's two-run blast in the second inning gave the Orioles an early 2-0 lead and was a sign of things to come.
Miguel Sano, celebrating his 23rd birthday, hit a solo home run for Minnesota in the bottom half of the inning before Davis and Trumbo went back-to-back in the fourth.
For the Orioles, it was the sixth time this season they have hit back-to-back homers and third consecutive game they accomplished the feat.
Trumbo now leads the team with 11 homers, one more than Manny Machado.
"They're hitting together there, a little triangle, that was pretty good today," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "Fun to watch."
An RBI single by Danny Santana drove in one and got Minnesota within 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Orioles tacked on single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to put the game away.
Each time, it was Davis responsible for driving in a run. In the sixth, his opposite-field drive came inches short of his second home run of the day, bouncing off the top of the wall. Davis settled for an RBI double.
"They're a hot team, so if you're not executing your pitches, you're gonna suffer the consequences," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We tried to find ways to hang around but they had a lot of offense these last two games."
One inning later, his sharp smash down the first-base line was gloved by Byung Ho Park, but Davis beat the relay throw on the double play try, allowing a run to score from third.
Jones got his fourth hit of the day on a two-run homer in the ninth inning to make it 9-2. Jones, who entered the series with one homer and nine RBIs in 26 games, went 6-for-10 with two homers and five RBIs in two games against the Twins.
NOTES: Twins LHP Glen Perkins played catch again on Wednesday and is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on May 23. Perkins has been on the 15-day disabled list since April 13 with a strained left shoulder. ... Baltimore will return home to open a seven-game homestand beginning with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. Orioles RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (2-3, 4.54 ERA) will oppose Detroit RHP Mike Pelfrey (0-4, 6.23 ERA). ... Minnesota is off Thursday before beginning a six-game road trip against the Cleveland Indians on Friday at Progressive Field. Minnesota RHP Ricky Nolasco (1-1, 4.70 ERA) will oppose Cleveland RHP Josh Tomlin (5-0, 3.72 ERA).
