MINNEAPOLIS -- One way for the Orioles to end their recent skid: Have their best player start swinging the bat better.
Manny Machado did just that at Target Field, homering in his first two at-bats Friday against the Twins. The effort marked his second multi-homer game of the season and the 11th of his career. Entering Friday, Baltimore had lost four straight and were a season-worst five games below .500.
In the first, Machado followed up Seth Smith's solo shot to lead off the game with one of his own. He launched a 1-0 fastball to right field, which went an estimated 382 feet and had an exit velocity of 104.