Trevor Larnach drove in the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit double in the eighth inning as the Minnesota Twins earned a 6-4, come-from-behind victory over the Oakland A’s on Wednesday night in Minneapolis.
Edouard Julien and Ryan Jeffers homered, Max Kepler went 4-for-4 and Willi Castro and Christian Vazquez both two hits for the Twins and Jeffers had three RBIs for the American League Central champion Twins (85-73). Minnesota won for the sixth time in seven games.
Dallas Keuchel (2-1) picked up the win with 1 2/3 scoreless relief innings. Griffin Jax came in to strike out Zack Gelof with runners at first and second to end the game and earn his fourth save.
Brent Rooker hit a two-run single, Lawrence Butler had two doubles and scored two runs and Nick Allen had a triple for Oakland (48-110). Reliever Dany Jimenez (0-2) picked up the loss as the A’s dropped their third consecutive game.
Minnesota took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Julien hit the first pitch of the game from A’s starter Joey Estes for his 15th home run of the season.
The Twins extended the edge to 2-0 in the second when Castro was hit by a pitch and then scored on a double down the right field line by Kyle Farmer. Castro was the 96th batter hit by a pitch by an Oakland pitcher this season, tops in the majors and an American League record.
The A’s cut it to 2-1 in the third when Butler led off with a double, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a two-out single by Seth Brown.
Oakland then took a 4-2 lead in the fifth. Aledmys Diaz tied it 2-2 with an RBI double, driving in Butler, who had doubled. Rooker then drove in Ryan Noda, who had singled, and Diaz with a bloop single off reliever Caleb Thielbar.
Minnesota tied it 4-4 in the sixth. Kepler hit a one-out single, knocking out Estes. One out later, Jeffers socked his 13th homer of the season, a 377-foot drive off Kyle Muller into the bleachers in left.
The Twins regained the lead in the eighth. Kepler led off with a single and pinch runner Andrew Stevenson then scored on Larnach’s pinch double off the right field wall. Larnach advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jeffers.
–Field Level Media