• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Twins rout A's

May 20, 2011 - 5:29 AM Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - Trevor Plouffe hit a three-run homer during a six-run eighth inning, as the Minnesota Twins dominated the Oakland Athletics, 11-1, to sweep a two-game series.

Justin Morneau went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer and scored twice for the Twins, who have won three in a row since a nine-game skid. Rene Rivera hit a solo homer.

Nick Blackburn (3-4) pitched seven solid innings, allowing one run on five hits to improve to 1-5 in nine career starts against Oakland.

"I can't remember having a good solid outing here in Oakland, so it was good," Blackburn said. "It was good to see the offense come out."

Mark Ellis drove in the lone run for the A's, who went 3-4 on a seven-game homestand.

Oakland starter Tyson Ross (3-3) threw just seven pitches before leaving the game with a left oblique strain. David Purcey gave up one run on four hits over 3 2/3 innings of relief.

"I'm disappointed I let the team down today," Ross said.

Ross gave up a leadoff single to Denard Span and threw three pitches to Plouffe before calling for the team trainer. Span moved to second on a passed ball and scored when Jason Kubel hit a single off Purcey.

Rivera's solo shot to left in the second made it a 2-0 game.

Minnesota tacked on two more runs in the fifth to create some distance. Kubel hit a one-out single and crossed the plate on Morneau's blast over the wall in right-center field.

The A's finally got on the board in the seventh. Hideki Matsui walked and moved to third on David DeJesus' one-out base hit. Ellis then grounded into a fielder's choice to plate a run.

But the Twins used a six-run eighth to break the game open. Morneau led off with a double, advanced to third on a Trystan Magnuson wild pitch and crossed the plate on Michael Cuddyer's base hit. Danny Valencia followed with an RBI double. Rivera's one-out single put men on the corners. Alexi Casilla then grounded into a fielder's choice to score Valencia. After Span walked, Plouffe hit a three-run homer to left to make it a 10-1 contest.

Delmon Young's RBI single in the ninth accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

The Twins have taken three of five from the A's this season...Oakland center fielder Coco Crisp, who missed Wednesday's game due to a family matter, was back in the lineup on Thursday. He went 1-for-4...Cuddyer had three hits...The Athletics went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded six...The Twins had 16 hits, compared to six for Oakland.