MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Emmanuel Rivera went 4 for 4 with two homers and four RBIs to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 9-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night. Ryan O’Hearn also homered and Jackson Holliday added three hits for the Orioles, who have clinched the top wild card in the American League and will face either the Kansas City Royals or Detroit Tigers in the first round of the playoffs. Brooks Lee had two hits for the Twins, who have lost six of their last seven and were eliminated from playoff contention on Friday.
Ryan Jeffers helped the Twins avoid the shutout with a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth. Baltimore used Matt Bowman as its opener and he got the first four outs. Lefty Tucker Davidson (1-0), making his first appearance for the Orioles after spending the season in Triple-A, allowed four hits over 4 2/3 shutout innings to earn the victory.
Twins starter Zebby Matthews (1-4) lasted just three innings, allowing six runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts. O’Hearn hit his second homer in as many nights in the first inning, a two-run shot just inside the left field foul pole, giving the Orioles the early lead. Rivera drove a slider from Matthews into the bullpens in left-center to extend the Baltimore lead to 4-0 in the second inning.
He added a double in the third, a solo homer in the fifth and a single in the ninth for the first four-hit game of his career. UP NEXT The Twins will start RHP Bailey Ober (12-8, 3.94) in Sunday's.