Orioles falter late but get good news on Mancini

MINNEAPOLIS -- Seven pitches into play Saturday, one Jose Berrios fastball threatened to dim the Orioles’ main bright spot this season. The two-seamer approached home plate with the intention of riding in on the hands of Trey Mancini, accomplishing that task much too literally for the Orioles’ liking.

Mancini swung as ball hit flesh, mistakenly ruled a foul by home-plate umpire Gerry Davis. The play seemed innocuous until Mancini singled to center two pitches later. But it went on to overshadow everything that came after Mancini reached first base safely, grasping his right hand as he exited the game.

It wasn’t until after they dropped a 9-2 decision at Target Field that the Orioles breathed a sigh of relief. X-rays on Mancini’s right index finger came back negative, revealing only a contusion -- the injury equivalent of a hiccup compared to the alternative. Mere hours after Mancini “couldn’t feel my finger whatsoever,” he is considered day to day.

“We were worried that it was broken,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I was thinking the worst when I went out there and he was having a tough time moving it, the look on his face. Trey is obviously an extremely tough guy.”

His index and middle digits taped together in the postgame clubhouse, Mancini said he “lucked out” and characterized the injury as minor.

“It’s very relieving, because I wasn’t so sure,” Mancini said. “Once the numbness wore off, it was pretty painful. But definitely feeling better now.”

That's music to the ears of the Orioles, who’ve watched the former American League Rookie of the Year finalist emerge as their best player over the season’s first month. The single off Berrios marked Mancini’s 39th hit in 28 games, tops in the AL and just three behind Cody Bellinger for the Major League lead. He ranks among the Junior Circuit’s leaders in a host of other major categories, including OPS (eighth), slugging (seventh), doubles (third) and runs (second). All told, Mancini is hitting .355 with six homers, 14 RBIs, a 1.023 OPS and an AL-best 68 total bases.

“I think he’s just scratching the surface on what player he can be,” Hyde said before the game. “It’s a guy in his third year, who is really starting to understand what the Major League game is all about, how guys are going to pitch him and really having a pro at-bat every time.”

He’s done it by routinely punishing pitches on the outer third of the strike zone and hammering breaking balls, which he’s hitting at a .377 clip. That dual approach was surely what Berrios meant to neutralize with the 1-2 sinker he ran into Mancini’s kitchen at 92.7 mph.

“[Berrios] released the ball and the spin looked like the breaking ball I saw earlier, and obviously it wasn’t,” Mancini said. “I hit it straight off my finger. It didn’t hit bat at all. That’s why I tried to play it off a little bit, because I knew if I gave them time to review it, it was a strikeout right there.”

Safe at first after “one-arming” a bloop single to center, Mancini couldn’t pretend any longer. Without him, the Orioles mustered little besides RBI hits from Rio Ruiz and Mancini’s replacement Hanser Alberto against Berrios, who outpitched Dan Straily over six strong innings. C.J. Cron’s two-run homer off Paul Fry in the sixth proved the difference, and Max Kepler (twice), Jason Castro and Marwin Gonzalez (solo) all homered later for insurance. The Twins have hit 21 home runs in five games this season against the Orioles and won 11 straight over Baltimore dating back to 2018.