Jacob Lopez gave the Athletics exactly the kind of outing they need if the final two months are going to mean anything.
At Target Field on Tuesday, Lopez worked five scoreless innings and the A’s backed him with just enough offense to beat the Twins 2-0. He gave up one hit, issued four walks and struck out four, but never let Minnesota turn those baserunners into damage.
The game took a while to get moving. Neither club had a hit through the first four innings, and the first breakthrough came in the fifth when Tommy White lined a one-out double off Zebby Matthews. That set up Lawrence Butler’s sacrifice fly, which brought in Donovan Walton for the opening run.
Minnesota finally got a hit in the bottom of the fifth when Austin Martin doubled with one out, but Lopez slammed the door from there. He retired the final two Twins hitters in the inning and kept the shutout intact.
The A’s added to the lead in the sixth. Tyler Soderstrom came through with a well-placed single on a hit-and-run, driving in Henry Bolte to make it 2-0.
The Twins had their chances to answer, but the Athletics kept finding the right play at the right time. In the sixth and again in the eighth, timely defense helped preserve the shutout. Geoff Hartlieb came on for Lopez and walked three of the four batters he faced, but José Suarez induced Brooks Lee into a chopper right at the third-base bag, and White converted it into an easy 5-3 double play to end the threat.
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