Orioles, Twins set to play two after rainout

After the series opener was washed out Friday due to rain, the Minnesota Twins and the host Baltimore Orioles will begin their weekend series Saturday.

This is the Twins' lone trip to Baltimore this season, so a doubleheader was scheduled for Saturday, with the first game starting at 4:05 p.m. ET.

Dan Straily (1-1, 10.24 ERA) will start Game 1 for Baltimore against Jose Berrios (2-1, 2.30). Alex Cobb (0-0, 3.18) will pitch for the Orioles in Game 2 versus Martin Perez (1-0, 5.02).

The second game is going to start about 30 minutes after the first game ends, and the series will conclude on Sunday afternoon.

Both the Twins and Orioles are off to a better start than many expected. Although the Twins dropped three out of four to Toronto this week, including a 7-4 defeat Thursday afternoon, they are 9-7 overall.

Eddie Rosario hit two homers in the finale against the Blue Jays. He has banged six already this season, a quick turnaround from his 0-for-14 start to the season.

Rosario has all six homers and 14 RBIs in his past 10 games.

"Eddie always seems locked in," Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said Thursday, according to the Twins' website. "Regardless of what's going on, Eddie, he's not afraid of any situation or facing a lefty or a righty or a big moment. Nothing that he really does is surprising."

The doubleheader also will mark Minnesota second baseman Jonathan Schoop's return to Baltimore. Schoop had been the Orioles' regular second baseman since 2014 before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers when Baltimore began unloading high-priced players last summer.

He struggled with the Brewers, hitting just .202 in 46 games, and wasn't tendered a deal, making him a free agent. The Twins then signed him to a one-year contract, and he is batting .235 so far.

Schoop had been stuck in an 0-for-15 skid before coming up with two hits in the Thursday loss.

Heading into the first game Saturday, Berrios is enjoying a good beginning, having made quality starts in all four of his 2019 outings. He has struck out 28 while walking only five in 27 1/3 innings.

Berrios is 3-0 with a 3.08 ERA in four career starts versus Baltimore.

Straily is 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA in his two career starts against the Twins. His best start of the season was his latest, when he gave up one run on two hits over five innings in an 8-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday.

As for the Game 2 starters, Cobb is 2-1 with a 3.80 ERA in four all-time starts against the Twins. Perez, meanwhile, has a 2-4 record plus a 5.36 ERA after seven starts versus Baltimore.

Perez will be making his second start this season after beginning the year with three relief outings. He gave up one run on seven hits in six innings on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays but got a no-decision.

Cobb is coming back from his second trip to the injured list this season. He missed Opening Day -- after being penciled in as the starter -- due to a groin problem.

He returned to make one start, allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings against the New York Yankees on April 4, before going back to the IL due to a lumbar strain.

The Orioles will have to make a move Saturday to open up a roster spot for Cobb.

Baltimore is coming off of a big 6-5, extra-inning road victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. Joey Rickard's 11th-inning double knocked in Chris Davis, who started the game-winning rally with a two-out single.

Davis missed nearly all of the Tampa Bay series with a stomach bug, and he didn't even get into the finale until late as a defensive replacement. He is 5-for-13 with a homer and six RBIs since breaking his 0-for-54 skid last weekend -- which extended back to last season -- in Boston.

Rickard went 4-for-5 with a double, a triple and two RBIs on Thursday, and Trey Mancini finished 3-for-5.

"So you hand it to our guys," manager Brandon Hyde told MASN's website after the win. "Just thought we stayed in it and ... the dugout was great, the guys were supporting each other and (had a) never-give-up attitude, and it was fantastic."

--Field Level Media