Oakland A’s hitter Sean Murphy swings for a two RBI single in the bottom of the seventh against the Minnesota Twins as Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers watches at the Oakland Coliseum on Tue May 17, 2022 (AP News photo)

Minnesota. 2. 7. 0

Oakland. 5 11. 1

Tuesday May 27, 2022

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–In spite of my generally cynical nature, I try to find something consoling about any situation. So I was somewhat gratified to read in today´s Oakland A’s (16-23) game notes that Oakland doesn’t have the worst record in the American League. The A’s picked up their 16th win of the season and got some timely hits to defeat the Minnesota Twins (21-16) at the Oakland Coliseum 5-2 on Tuesday night.

There are members of the junior circuit beneath them in the standings, the Orioles; the Royals; and the Tigers. not to mention the four National League teams with records worse than the 15-23 the green and gold brought to Tuesday’s game.

James Kaprieian, two weeks off of the injured list and with an 0-2, 4.97 record to show for the three appearances he made since his return, took the mound for Oakland.

In each of those starts he did better than in the previous one (excepting the first, of course). In fact he had an ERA of 2.53in the 10-2/3 innings he pitched in his second and third starts.

His opposite number for Minnesota, fresh off the Covid 19 list, Dylan Bundy, began his monticular labors with a lifetime record of 49-59, 4.75, unimpressive but better than his season’s mark of 3-2,5.76.

He has five tools in his bag of tricks, a four seamer that he throws about 35% of the time and at an unintimidating speed of about 89 mph; a slider that he utilizes another 23% or so; a changeup; a sinker; and an Uncle Charley.

Game recap: The teams traded zeroes for 3-1/2 innings, during which Bundy threw 54 pitches, 35 of which were counted as strikes. He surrendered two hits, both of them singles, one a bunt by Tony Kemp, and no walks. He struck out one.

Josh Winder started the fourth and allowed a one out double to Elvis Andrus that might have been another single if the Twins’ right fielder, Max Kepler, hadn’t tried to make a diving catch of it. Kevin Smith made that a moot question by blasting a 93 mph four seamer 395 feet deep over the left field fence, giving Kaprielian a two run lead to work with when he came out for the fifth.

Three pitches later, it was a one run lead. Royce Lewis lifted a 94 mph fastball to deep left field. Luis Barera looked ready to catch it, but the ball disappeared 382 deep into the nearly empty stands. (The attendance was 3,640).

Oakland threatened in their half of the fifth, loading the bases on singles by Jed Lowrie and Seth Brown and a walk to Andrus, but Barrera flew out to right, and the score remained 2-1.

There was no question about Gary Sánchez´s game toying round tripper to left with one down in the Minnesota sixth. It was his fourth of the year and travelled 387 feet into the left field seats. It came on Kaprielien’s 89th and final pitch of the game.

He left, having thrown 5-1/3 frames, allowing two runs, both earned, on four hits and a walk. 64 of his offerings were deemed strikes. Sam Moll relieved him and, in spite of a broken bat single by Kepler, an infield single by Gilberto Celestino, and Moll’s throwing error on Celestino’s single, preserved the tie.

The green and gold retook the lead after the seventh inning stretch. Lowrie walked. Christian Bethancourt ran for him, moving to second when Winder plugged Laureano with a 91 mph fastball.

Then Brown whacked a changeup to the bottom of the right field wall, driving in Bethancourt and sending Laureano to third. Murphy’s sharp single to center plated both runners, but the A’s catcher quickly was eliminated when Andrus grounded into a 6-4-3 Twin killing.

The Oakland attack continued; Barrera and Smith each singled to left, putting runners on the corners when Caleb Thiebar relieved the beleaguered Winder, who had given up five earned runs in his 3-2/3 inning stint and ended up being charged with the loss, his second in four decisions.

Oakland’s newfound 5-2 advantage was endangered in the top of the eighth. Jackson got Sánchez to fly out to right but walked Kepler on a full count and gave up a single to Garlich.

Enter Dany Jiménez, who induced a fly to center from hitter Gilberto Celestino and a ground out to short from Lewis. Jiménez stuck around for the ninth to gain the save, his seventh in as many opportunities.

Those of you who want a reminder of the A’s glory days could do worse than visit the roomy Coliseum, where, at 12:37 Wednesday afternoon, Sonny Gray (0-1,3.68) will start for the Twin Cities team, facing the A’s Daulton Jefferies (1-6, 4.84)