Right-hander Michael Pineda came off the injured list Wednesday, and he didn’t miss a beat on the mound as the Twins defeated the Orioles, 3-2, at Target Field for their first series sweep of the season.

The Twins are on a season-high four-game winning streak and improved to 20-29. Manager Rocco Baldelli is pleased that the Twins are playing all phases of the game well. 

“This is a team effort,” he said. “I can point at the offensive side of the game, the starting pitching, the bullpen. The starters are going out there and throwing deeper in some of these games.  Our bullpen has stepped it up in a big way. We have gotten hits. We found a way to put ourselves in a spot where we get a few guys on. We get that big hit.”

• Box score

Pineda, on the IL since May 19 because of an abscess, had a tough time getting through the first inning, allowing three hits. But only one run scored, on a homer by Trey Mancini.

Pineda acknowledged that he lost his rhythm in the first inning after not pitching for more than a week. However, he was able to locate his fastball better on the way to winning his third game of the season. 

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“I felt too excited, and my location was not too good [in the first inning],” Pineda said. 

Pineda was dealing during the next five innings. After walking the first two batters in the third (and disagreeing with the umpire's calls), he retired the next 12 before leaving the game in favor of right-hander Tyler Duffey.

“Mike Pineda goes out there and just finds a way to get through situations. He is a very good situational pitcher," Baldelli said. “Regardless of how he gets there at times, he knows how to get outs.

“He knows how to take advantage of hitters in situations where I think they sometimes get aggressive. He has numerous ways to work his way through outings, and he did a really great job again. It’s something we’ve seen from him over and over again. His feel is fantastic. He uses it to his advantage all the time.”

During the first five innings, the Twins couldn’t touch Orioles right-hander Jorge López, managing two hits. They finally got to him in the sixth, the big blow being Miguel Sanó’s projected 426-foot three-run home run over the center-field wall to make it a 3-1 game.

“[Sanó] put us in a great spot,” Baldelli said. “I don’t think he went out there with the mindset of 'I’m swinging for the fences' in any way. He just went out there and had a good at-bat. That’s what he has been doing, too. It’s a big moment for him and the team.”