BALTIMORE - After all he's done for the Baltimore Orioles thus far this season, Chris Davis didn't need to apologize for letting a groundball get through his legs.
Davis felt lousy about it anyway, because his error provided the Minnesota Twins with an unearned run in the ninth inning of a 6-5 victory Saturday night.
Over Baltimore's first four games, Davis had four home runs and 16 RBIs. In his fifth game, he got another RBI but failed to become the first player in major league history to homer in the first five games of the season.
"I wasn't actually thinking I need to hit a homer," he said. "My mindset was more, drive in runs. Homers come and go, they come in bunches."
His errors come far more infrequently. His first of the year, unfortunately, couldn't have come at a worse time.
With the score tied at 5, Baltimore turned to closer Jim Johnson (0-1) in the ninth. Davis let a one-out groundball by Aaron Hicks roll through his legs, and after a two-out walk to Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau hit an RBI single.
"My glove was down, my head was down the ball just went right through my legs," Davis said. "Just one of those things. I'll wear it on that one."
Of course, if Morneau didn't become the first Twins player to get three hits in a game this season, the error wouldn't have mattered.
"I don't know if he was trying to come in there or not. It was a pretty good pitch to hit 鈥� right over the plate," Morneau said. "I tried to keep it simple and get a good swing on it and take my chances. That was an at-bat where I was just trying not to do too much."
It was Johnson's first loss since last July 27.
Josh Roenicke (1-0) pitched three innings of one-hit relief and Glen Perkins got three straight outs for his first save.
Orioles starter Chris Tillman allowed five runs, seven hits and four walks in 3 2-3 rocky innings. Activated off the disabled list before the game after being sidelined with an abdominal strain, Tillman needed 93 pitches to get 11 outs.
"He'll be better," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.
Tillman was replaced by T.J. McFarland, a Rule 5 signee making his major league debut. The 23-year-old lefty allowed one hit and struck out five over 3 1-3 innings.
Asked how it felt coming in from the bullpen, McFarland said, "It was an incredible feeling. Nothing beats it. The adrenaline, the excitement, I really can't even put into words. It really is just the best feeling you could ever feel."
Twins starter Vance Worley gave up four earned runs and 10 hits in five innings. It was the first time in eight career starts in April that he failed to go at least six innings.
The Orioles scored two first-inning runs with help from Minnesota's defence. After Manny Machado singled with one out, Nick Markakis hit a sinking liner to left that eluded a diving Willingham, who tried to locate the loose ball as Markakis reached second base.
Adam Jones then hit a swinging bunt that scored Machado, and Markakis came home after Worley's late, off-target throw to first base.
"That's one run they wouldn't have had if I just ate it," Worley said.
Minnesota closed to 2-1 in the second on a sacrifice fly by Brian Dozier, but Hicks struck out with the bases loaded and two outs.
The Twins took the lead with a four-run third. Ryan Doumit singled in a run and Trevor Plouffe hit a sacrifice fly before Parmalee drove a 3-0 pitch over the right-field wall.
Davis singled in a run in the bottom half, and Baltimore tied it at 5 in the fifth with four straight singles, the last by Jones to drive in two runs.
NOTES: The Twins scratched right-hander Cole De Vries (strained right forearm) from his scheduled start on Sunday, and will place him on the 15-day disabled list and recall Pedro Hernandez from Triple-A Rochester to start the series finale. Jason Hammel (1-0) is scheduled to start for Baltimore. ... Former Twins star Bert Blyleven, now an announcer with the team, turned 62 on Saturday. ... To make room for Tillman, the Orioles optioned INF Yamaico Navarro to Triple-A Norfolk. ... Prior to this game, the Orioles had not given up a run before the fourth inning. ... Hicks went 0 for 5 and has one hit in 22 at-bats this season.
