Minneapolis, MN (Best E Casino) - Nick Markakis's two-run home run and Adam Jones' solo blast lifted the Baltimore Orioles to a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the rubber match of their three-game series.

Starter Garrett Olson (5-1) was credited with the victory, scattering two runs and eight hits through 6 1/3 frames in Baltimore's third win in four games. George Sherrill hurled a scoreless ninth for his 20th save of the season.

The Twins activated Scott Baker off the 15-day disabled list to oppose Olson. Baker's strained right groin didn't seem to effect the right-hander in his no decision, as he allowed two runs on five hits in five innings. Brian Bass (2-2) was saddled with the loss after allowing one run in two innings of relief.

Alexi Casilla and Mike Redmond paced the Minnesota offense with three hits each and a run batted in, as the Twins have dropped two of three. Nick Punto also added two doubles in defeat.

The Twins got on the board early when Redmond doubled down the right field line in the first. Casilla, who got on with a one-out single, scored easily on the flare, and the 1-0 lead held until the third inning.

There, Markakis worked a nine-pitch at-bat and grooved a payoff fastball deep into the left field seats with a runner on second.

"You got Markakis who had a 10 or 12 pitch at-bat right there and he did something with it," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "It's a confidence boost, number one. But number two, it reinforces something we're trying to get done here."

The Twins tied it up in the fifth behind Casilla's two-out single to left, scoring Punto without a throw.

It remained 2-2 until Jones crushed Bass' 1-0 slider deep over the hefty bag in right field to begin the seventh.

Sherrill worked around a one-out double in the ninth, issuing a Carlos Gomez pop out and strikeout of Casilla to close it out.

"We're playing good ball right now," the Twins' Jason Kubel said. "Hopefully it'll start falling more our way. It was a pretty well played game, the big hits just weren't there."

Game Notes

After the game, the Twins placed Punto on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin. The utility player played the entire game but seemed to labor around the bases. Infielder Matt Macri was recalled from Triple-A Rochester to fill Punto's spot on the roster...The Orioles also made a move on Thursday, outrighting infielder Luis Hernandez to Triple-A Norfolk and claiming outfielder Jeff Fiorentino on waivers from Oakland...Coming into this series, the Twins had won 11 of their last 12 versus the Orioles...On Friday, The Twins head to Chicago for four games against the White Sox, while the Orioles head to Toronto for three games against the Blue Jays...In the team's respective first picks of Thursday's MLB Draft, the Orioles selected left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz out of the University of San Diego with the fourth overall pick, while the Twins chose outfielder Aaron Hicks from Woodrow Wilson High School in California with the 14th overall selection.