BALTIMORE -- It is only fitting that the man responsible for creating the Twins’ home run celebration finally got to don the “Spartan helmet.”
Of course, it seems also fitting that by the time he got to wear it, it was broken. Or, perhaps it was Christian Vázquez himself who broke it.
Either way, it was Vázquez whose first home run of the year powered the Twins to their ninth straight win with a 6-3 Game 1 victory to open Minnesota’s doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at Camden Yards. Then, the Twins extended their streak to 10 games with an 8-6 win in Game 2, sweeping the DH.
Vázquez’s long ball came on the second pitch of his at-bat in the fourth inning, an 81.1 mph curveball from O’s starter Dean Kremer that Vázquez launched a Statcast-projected 406 feet to left-center field at 103.2 mph -- his second-hardest-hit ball this season, behind a 104.2 mph single on May 3 vs. the Red Sox.
“It was good, feels good,” Vázquez said. “The wins feel better. Nine in a row, that’s amazing for this team -- the way we started and now we’re in a good stretch and we’re playing very good.”
A lot can be attributed to the clubhouse atmosphere, an air of trust and confidence in one another that transcends the double doors of the locker room and extends onto the diamond. It’s an “anybody can be the hero” mindset that has become a reality during this winning streak -- and in Game 1, it was Vázquez’s turn.
“It’s like everybody putting something on the table to get a ‘W’ every day,” Vázquez said. “It was me today, the next game is a different guy ... somebody new at the table to do something there to win.
“The clubhouse is happy, we’re having fun. And I think the good teams do that, winning teams do that; they have fun ... they back each other.”
The backstop’s home run bookended a solid four-run inning for Minnesota, which opened with a first-pitch home run from Brooks Lee -- his fourth of the year. It was the perfect response to the Orioles’ three-run bottom of the third, where Twins starter Bailey Ober gave up a Ryan Mountcastle RBI double and a two-run homer from Gunnar Henderson. Those were the only runs Ober allowed, though, as he went 4 2/3 frames before turning it over to the bullpen.
“That was huge,” Ober said. “That was the reason why we won this game. Just being able to -- our offense to kind of put what happened behind us and go out there and put pressure on them. Vazqy coming up with a huge home run right there. Getting those runs in was massive for this game. And then our bullpen came in and slammed the door.”
The Orioles threatened a few times, but the combination of Danny Coulombe, Brock Stewart, Louis Varland, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran delivered 4 1/3 scoreless frames -- with some help from a two-run top of the ninth that gave the Twins some insurance runs.
“We’re pitching very good,” Vázquez said. “It’s a lot of credit for the starters and the bullpen guys. … We have an elite bullpen, and [that makes it] easier for the catchers to call the game.”
There were some bothersome injuries, though, as Ty France exited Game 1 with a left foot contusion after he fouled the third pitch of his at-bat off the inside of his left foot in the fifth inning. He completed the at-bat, grounding out, but was replaced by Kody Clemens in the bottom of the frame.
In Game 2, Harrison Bader exited with left groin tightness in the middle of the third, while Rocco Baldelli departed the dugout around the same time with an illness, at which point bench coach Jayce Tingler took over as acting manager.
The defensive (and coaching) shuffles that ensured were a testament to the “everyone chipping in” vibe Minnesota has going offensively, too. When one player goes down, whether for a game or for an IL stint, someone is there to pick up the slack. There’s a cohesiveness that, while present in most Major League clubhouses, is in abundance with the Twins.
“I feel like it's just the belief that we have in each other, being able to lean on our guys,” Ober said. “If you don't get it done, then the next guy is going to -- and right now that's been showing up as of late, and we got a lot of confidence in each and every one of our guys.
“Just being able to believe that we're always going to be in it and believe that we're always going to be able to come back, no matter what the score is, it's huge.”