Lawrence Butler set the tone with a homer, Alika Williams delivered the big swing with a two-run triple, and the Athletics came from behind to beat the Minnesota Twins 7-4 on Wednesday night and take the three-game series.
Minnesota dropped to 64-70 and slid four games back of Cleveland for the final American League playoff spot.
The A’s got three hits from Tommy White and continued their recent surge, winning four of five after a five-game losing streak. J.T. Ginn earned the win at 9-8 after giving up six hits and four runs over six innings, while Elvis Alvarado finished it off with a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.
The game flipped in the sixth. After Jonah Heim singled with one out, Andrew Morris came on for Twins starter Connor Prielipp.
White followed with a single, Jeff McNeil came through with a pinch-hit double that drove in a run, and Williams then tripled home two more to give the Athletics their first lead. Darell Hernaiz added an RBI single to make it 6-4.
Butler put the finishing touch on the night with a solo homer in the seventh.
Minnesota had jumped out fast, with Brooks Lee homering in the first and Trevor Larnach and Kaelen Culpepper going back-to-back in the second for a 3-0 lead. The A’s answered in the fourth when Michael Stefanic doubled in a run and Brian Serven followed with an RBI groundout to cut it to 3-2.
Royce Lewis later added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to push the Twins ahead 4-2, but the Athletics kept coming and finished the job from there.
In Other News...
Twins Just Gave Up On A Once-Intriguing Arm For Walker Jenkins
Walker Jenkins is headed back onto the Twins active roster after Minnesota selected the outfielders contract and sent Alan Roden to Triple-A St. Paul to make room. It is another sign of how aggressively the club is trying to manage its young talent, especially with Jenkins drawing enough attention to earn a major league look again.
The move also cost Woo-Suk Go his spot on the 40-man roster after the right-hander was designated for assignment following control issues in St. Paul. Go had already made his big league debut with Minnesota after arriving from the Tigers, and now his future hinges on waivers, with a possible free-agent decision waiting if he gets through. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Be About To Lose A Former Top Prospect
A roster move out of Toronto has put a familiar name in limbo, and it may not stay a Blue Jays issue for long. The club recalled right-hander CJ Van Eyk and designated Simeon Woods Richardson for assignment, a sign of how quickly the pitching picture can change when a former top prospect is running out of runway. Woods Richardson has struggled lately, and the move clears a spot while also forcing the organization to confront a tough decision on a pitcher once viewed as part of the future.
Because Woods Richardson is out of minor league options, the next step is more complicated than a routine shuffle. He will have to pass through waivers, and any team that claims him would need to keep him on a major league roster, which is why a number of clubs with pitching needs will at least have to take a look. If he goes unclaimed, free agency becomes the fallback, leaving Toronto with another reminder of how thin the margin can be for young arms still trying to establish themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Starter Is Back In Roster Limbo Again
Simeon Woods Richardson is back in an all-too-familiar spot after the Blue Jays designated the former Twins starter for assignment, a move that once again leaves his immediate big-league future unsettled. The right-hander had worked out of Torontos bullpen this season, making eight relief appearances and logging a 3.93 ERA over 18.1 innings, a brief stretch that kept him on the roster but never fully settled his role.
For Minnesota fans, it is another reminder of a pitcher whose career has already taken plenty of turns since he was originally drafted by the Mets and later spent time with the Twins before heading back to Toronto. Now the question is whether another team sees enough in his arm to claim him, or whether he is headed into another round of roster limbo while the Blue Jays sort out their next move. [Read more 🡒]