Chris Davis failed to hit a home run for the first time this season as the Baltimore Orioles fell 6-5 to the Minnesota Twins.
Davis had a chance to become the first player in MLB history to hit a home run in the first five games of the season, but it was instead his error that led to the Orioles’ loss on Saturday . The score was tied in the ninth inning when Davis let a groundball go through his legs, leading to the go-ahead run for the Twins.
“My glove was down, my head was down the ball just went right through my legs,” Davis said. “Just one of those things.”
Though he fell short of the record, Chris Davis said he going to bat trying to hit home runs.
“I wasn’t actually thinking I need to hit a homer,” he said. “My mindset was more, drive in runs. Homers come and go, they come in bunches.”
Thanks to a home run from Chris Parmelee and a timely hit from former MVP Justin Morneau, the Twins won for the first time in Baltimore since April 21, 2011.
“Wins are good anywhere,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “This is a tough league over here. This whole division is tough, and there are a lot of good baseball teams in it. You can’t make too many mistakes against these people.”
Gardenhire added that it’s particularly hard trying to stop the Orioles , who have a lot more than just Chris Davis .
“I don’t think we’ve figured that out,” Gardenhire said before Saturday’s game. “I’m not sure anyone has. But that’s the goal. The biggest problem with that lineup is they have some many guys getting on base for them. They have a very good lineup and a lot of good two-strike hitters. And so he comes up with a lot of guys on.”
Chris Davis has a chance to start a new home run record on Sunday against the Twins.