BALTIMORE — Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor made it clear what his team needs to improve on after they dropped the series finale to the Orioles on Thursday.
The Twins scored two runs for the third straight game, struck out 12 times and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position in a 4-2 loss that dropped them to 0-3 on the season.
Minnesota struggled in all those areas throughout the first three games. The Twins struck out 35 times in the series and went 2-for-21 with runners in scoring position.
“We scored six runs,” Molitor said. “The strikeouts were significant. The one thing we were able to do last year was capitalize on opportunities, comparably when we didn’t have as many as some other teams. I think it’s one of those things that builds early.”
Molitor doesn’t want the team to start pressing too soon, so he’s going to keep an eye on it.
The Twins put runners in scoring position in four innings Thursday but scored only one run. Molitor wants them to remember they’ve got plenty of time to get everything straight.
“Guys get up there and they are grinding — almost too hard even though we are only three games in,” Molitor said.