Gonzo debuts, sort of

BALTIMORE–Michael Gonzalez made his first appearance Thursday night against the Twins since suffering the blown save in April 9′s home opener against Toronto.

Gonzalez, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list prior to Wednesday’s game, came on following starter Kevin Millwood with one out in the seventh inning and gave up a single to Denard Span and got Orlando Hudson to fly out for the second out. He intentionally walked the dangerous Joe Mauer to retire Jason Kubel and end a wild inning that saw Orioles first baseman Ty Wigginton, pitching coach Rick Kranitz and interim manager Juan Samuel get ejected.

Gonzalez showcased a fastball that topped out at 93 mph and a motion that appeared to be more fluid than his traditional herky-jerky approach. He threw seven of his 16 pitches for strikes, lowering his ERA to 13.50 in the process, and exited with the score still 5-0 in Minnesota’s favor.