MINNEAPOLIS — For the past two years, the Orioles dominated the Twins. They entered Tuesday night’s series opener on a 10-game winning streak against Minnesota, their second-longest against any opponent in team history, and a seven-game run at Target Field.

Both streaks came to a sudden halt at the hands of Twins right-hander Pablo López, who struck out the side in three separate innings en route to an 11-punchout performance in the Orioles’ 9-1 loss, their 10th in the past 14 games.

Baltimore (13-21) managed to drive up López’s pitch count enough to force the Twins to go to their bullpen after five innings, but the Orioles didn’t put a single runner aboard after the fourth inning in a fizzle of an offensive performance.

The Twins took control with a five-run third inning. Starter Cade Povich was looking sharp until he surrendered four straight hits with one out in the third to set up the rally. The initial damage came on an RBI single by center fielder Byron Buxton and a two-run double from catcher Ryan Jeffers before shortstop Carlos Correa cleared the bases with a monster 458-foot blast that landed on the concourse of the second deck in left field.

Povich recovered from the frame to retire the final 10 batters he faced, completing six innings for the third time in seven starts on the year. However, the Orioles’ bullpen let the game get out of hand in the seventh, when a fielding error by third baseman Coby Mayo — his second of the night — and a walk by Cionel Pérez prompted manager Brandon Hyde to turn to Matt Bowman. The right-hander then surrendered a three-run homer to Buxton and an RBI single to Correa.None of it mattered because the offense managed only two hits off López — a single by Jackson Holliday in the second and RBI double by Ryan Mountcastle for their only run against him in the fourth — before the Twins’ bullpen shut them down with four equally dominant innings.

Left-hander Danny Coulombe, whose team option was declined by the Orioles last winter, pitched a perfect sixth inning against his former team to extend his scoreless streak to 15 consecutive appearances to start the season. Louis Varland, Cole Sands and Jorge Alcala allowed one hit between them to stymie any hope of the Orioles mounting a comeback.

Baltimore has lost three in a row since showing signs of life with three wins in four games last week. A fourth loss Wednesday would mark its longest losing streak of the season.

Instant analysis

Where is Mayo going to play defense long term?

If he wants the answer to be third base, his performance Tuesday wasn’t a step in the right direction. Mayo bobbled two groundballs, one a two-hopper down the third base line he tried to backhand and the other a routine ball he let bounce between his legs. The Orioles have lauded the strides he’s made with the glove in Triple-A and nerves could very well be a factor for a player with only 20 career MLB games, but his defense remains a work in progress.

Should Mayo start to hit up to his potential — he’s 0-for-8 with five strikeouts since being recalled — the Orioles will find a defensive home for him regardless of how he plays. However, given the short window he has to make an impression before Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías return from what are expected to be short injured-list stints, Mayo is in a position where he needs to maximize his opportunities to force the Orioles to keep him in the majors.

On deck

The Orioles have not yet announced who will start for them Wednesday after pushing right-hander Dean Kremer back a day to give him more time to heal from a comebacker that struck him in the leg his last time out. Minnesota plans to start 24-year-old right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson, who has a 4.03 ERA in six games (five starts) so far this season.

Around the horn

Right-hander Zach Eflin will “hopefully” be able to return from the 15-day injured list for this weekend’s series against the Los Angeles Angels if his bullpen session Wednesday goes well, Hyde announced before the game Tuesday. Eflin has been out since April 7 with a right lat strain he suffered in his third start of the season.

Pitching prospect Brandon Young landed on the Triple-A Norfolk seven-day IL on Tuesday with shoulder discomfort. The injury wasn’t deemed serious enough to warrant an MRI but he will take a break from throwing before starting a rehabilitation program.

Tyler O’Neill started at designated hitter for Norfolk on Tuesday in the first game of a rehab assignment. Hyde said that he expects the outfielder, who was dealing with neck inflammation, to be back within two to three days. Infielder Jordan Westburg also reported to Norfolk but will work out there for a few days before seeing any game action.

Reliever Andrew Kittredge (left knee debridement) will make his second rehab appearance Thursday with Norfolk as he continues his ramp-up process, Hyde said. Left-hander Trevor Rogers (right knee subluxation) is also expected to make his fourth rehab start later this week.

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Weyrich at mweyrich@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/ByMattWeyrichand instagram.com/bymattweyrich.