by Jerry Feitelberg

AP photo: The Minnesota Twins pitcher Tyler Rogers leaps over catcher Juan Centeno after tagging out Oakland A’s baserunner Khris Davis in game three of the series at Target Field on Monday

The A’s ended their four-game losing streak on Monday, the 4th of July, in Minneapolis by beating the Minnesota Twins 3-1. The Twins sent Ricky Nolasco (3-6, 5.31) to the hill and the A’s countered with Kendall Graveman (3-6,4.84). For the first six innings of the game, it was a pitching duel. They have struggled this year but on Monday they looked like Dave Stewart vs. Roger Clemens in 1988 or Tim Hudson vs. Pedro Martinez in 2002. Graveman pitched his best game of the year in picking up his fourth win of the season. He went six and two-thirds innings and allowed just three hits and one run. Graveman has improved his game in his last several starts and on Monday he kept the ball “down in the zone” and recorded many outs on ground balls. He threw 102 pitches before leaving the game in the seventh inning.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning. Twins designated hitter, Joe Maurer, led off the frame with a single. Graveman walked the next hitter, Miguel Sano, to put men on at first and second with no out. The Twins All-Star second baseman, Brian Dozier, smoked a ground ball down the third baseline that was heading into the left-field corner that, fortunately for the A’s and Graveman, was stabbed by Danny Valencia. Valencia threw to second for the force out on Sano but the relay to first was late, and the Twins still had men on at first and third with one out. Graveman issued his second walk of the inning to Kennys Vargas to load the bases. The Twins’ Max Kepler hit into a force out, and the Twins had their first and only run of the game.

Nolasco continued to pitch well until the fateful top of the seventh. Third baseman Danny Valencia, mired in a 0-for-17 slump, doubled to right center. The next batter, Marcus Semien, hit a ground ball to short. Valencia, ignoring the rule of not trying to advance to third when the ball is in front of you, made it there safely, beating the throw. The third base umpire called Valencia out but after a review, he was ruled safe. The replay showed his right foot on the bag before the tag. Stephen Vogt singled to drive in Valencia with the tying run.Twins’ manager, Paul Molitor, removed Nolasco from the game and brought in LHP Taylor Rogers to pitch. Billy Butler greeted Rogers with a bloop single to load the bases. Coco Crisp singled to drive in two more and give the A’s the lead 3-1. The Twins threatened in their half of the seventh With two out, Graveman walked Centeno and Santana followed with a single. Bob Melvin went to the bullpen and brought in Ru=yan Dull to quell the uprising. Dull, who entered the game not allowing an inherited runner to score yet this year, continued to do his thing. He retired Eduardo Nunez for the final out and is now 36-for36 to start a season since the start of the expansion era in 1961.

Dull retired the Twins in order in the eighth and Ryan Madson finished off the Twins in the ninth. The Twins, with two out, threatened when Rosario tripled to center and Madson walked pinch-hitter Robbie Grossman to put the tying runs on base. Madson, however, retired the next hitter to preserve the win for Oakland.

Game Notes- The A’s announced the RHP Fernando Rodriguez, who left the game on Sunday against Pittsburgh, had suffered a shoulder strain and was placed on the 15 day-DL. The A’s recalled Andrew Triggs and Patrick Schuster from Nashville. Schuster is left-handed and has a record of 1-0 and a 1.30 ERA at Nashville. To make room for Schuster, the A’s sent Daniel Coulombe back to the Sounders.

The A’s made news as they announced that they had signed Lazaro “Lazarito” Armenteros. Armenteros is from Cuba and is sixteen years old and is a very highly-rated prospect. The A’s also signed three players from the Dominican Republic. They signed shortstop George Bell, who is the son of former Major League player and MVP George Bell. In addition, they inked shortstops Marcus Brito and Yerdel Vargas. Brito is the thirteenth ranked prospect and Vargas is twenty-fourth.

The A’s play Game Two of the three-game set Tuesday night at Target Field. Gane Time is at 5:05 PM. The game will feature two lefties. Sean Manaea will go for Oakland, and the Twins will send Tommy Milone to the mound. Milone is a former Athletic, and he owns a record of 0-2 with an ERA of 6.23.