Athletics 2 - 1 Twins
Final
  for this game

Twins target another win over Athletics

May 5, 2015 - 2:50 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Twins try to secure a sixth straight victory on Tuesday evening as they play the second contest of a four-game series with the Oakland Athletics.

The Twins followed up a four-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox with an 8-7 victory over the Athletics last night. Torii Hunter came through with a go- ahead, three-run homer in the sixth inning, while Jordan Schafer had three hits, two RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Eduardo Escobar added three hits and a pair of runs scored and Phil Hughes picked up his first victory of the season despite allowing five runs over six innings.

"After the first inning, I knew that no matter what I did after that it wasn't going to be pretty," said Hughes. "I just tried to eat some innings for us and keep us in the game."

Catcher Stephen Vogt tried his best to power Oakland to a victory. He hit a grand slam in the first inning off Hughes and added an RBI double in the ninth inning that got Oakland to within a run.

Vogt's late hit was nearly a game-tying homer, but he had to settle for the extra-base hit and Craig Gentry then went down swinging to end the game.

"That ball off the bat looks like it might go out if it gets over to the right a little. That's pretty much a microcosm of our season to this point," said A's manager Bob Melvin. "That ball wasn't quite hit hard enough, and we come up just one run short."

Vogt leads Oakland with seven homers and 24 RBI, but his club lost for the fourth time in six games.

Jesse Chavez hopes to avoid a third consecutive losing start for Oakland this evening.

The right-hander did not allow a run and also picked up a save over four relief appearances to begin the season that spanned 6 2/3 innings. Chavez then made his first start of 2015 and 24th of his career in a tough-luck 2-0 setback to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 23, yielding both runs, one unearned, on just one hit and three walks in six innings.

A rematch with the Angels on Thursday did not go as well for Chavez, who was tagged for four runs, seven hits and three walks in five innings of work with five strikeouts in a 6-5 loss.

Chavez has recorded a 4.70 earned run average across eight career encounters with the Twins, including one start.

Getting the call on the mound tonight for the Twins will be Trevor May, who is 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA through four starts this season.

May picked up a 12-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, limiting the damage to a pair of runs allowed over 5 2/3 innings despite giving up 10 hits and a walk. He didn't allow a home run for a third straight outing and also seemed no ill-effects from taking a liner he took off his elbow in his previous start.

"I got really lucky, I think," May said. "I can only feel anything if I really push on it.

The right-hander has faced the A's only once before and struggled with command in a loss, walking seven and giving up three hits and four runs over just two innings.

Oakland has won 12 of 14 and 17 of its last 21 against the Twins.






Related News