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Twins-Athletics Preview

Jun 5, 2010 - 6:28 AM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Minnesota (31-23) at Oakland (29-26), 9:05 p.m. EDT

The Minnesota Twins may still be far from ending their problems at the plate on the road, especially now that they have to contend with Trevor Cahill.

After ending a troubling road skid, the Twins could have a tough time building momentum as they face the Oakland Athletics' emerging right-hander Saturday night.

Desperate for offensive production, Minnesota (32-23) got a single from Delmon Young in the top of the 11th inning to drive in the winning run in a 5-4 win over Oakland (29-27) on Friday night. The AL Central-leading Twins had lost three straight, scoring one run in each contest.

Minnesota entered this three-game series with six losses in its last seven games away from Target Field. The Twins were held to two runs or fewer in each of the defeats.

Young continued his hot hitting at Oakland, delivering two hits. The left fielder is 13 for 35 (.371) with eight RBIs in his last nine road games versus the A's.

Justin Morneau also had a strong performance for Minnesota, hitting a home run and driving in two runs. It was the 13th homer of the season for Morneau, who has a seven-game hitting streak and leads the majors with a .372 average.

Morneau has also matched Chuck Knoblauch for eighth in franchise history with 210 doubles.

"Moreany has been big all year long," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "That's why people are pushing him for the All-Star Game."

Morneau is 3 for 5 with a homer against Cahill (4-2, 3.02), who is looking to win his fourth straight start.

The 22-year-old Cahill has posted a 1.42 ERA during his winning streak, and he's 2-0 with a 0.77 ERA in two outings at home. He gave up one run in 6 1-3 innings of a 4-1 victory over Detroit on Monday.

Cahill has faced the Twins twice, going 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

Minnesota will give the ball to Francisco Liriano (5-3, 3.29 ERA), who has regained his form as one of the club's top starters. Liriano won his last outing, giving up three runs and striking out seven in six innings of a 5-4 victory over Seattle on Monday night.

The left-hander went 0-3 with a 5.70 ERA over his previous four starts. He's 1-2 with a 5.92 ERA in six starts versus the Athletics, who have been struggling.

Oakland has lost four of six, dropping one game behind first-place Texas in the AL West. The A's had won three straight and seven of nine at the Coliseum before Friday's series opener.

But Kevin Kouzmanoff continues to be a bright spot for the A's, homering in a career-best three straight games. The third baseman is hitting .324 (11 for 34) with six RBIs during a nine-game hitting streak at home.

Oakland center fielder Rajai Davis added a home run Friday, a solo shot that tied the game in the eighth. Davis is hitting .366 with eight RBIs in his last 10 games against the Twins.