Oakland Athletics left fielder Seth Brown lies on the ground after trying to catch an RBI double by Minnesota Twins’ Kyle Farmer during the second inning at Target Field in Minneapolis on Wed Sep 27, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was another tough night for the Oakland A’s as they were beaten for the second night in a row by the Minnesota Twins. The A’s played a more competitive game on Wednesday, but the result was the same: another loss by a score of 6-4.

The Twins starter, Pablo Lopez, worked just four and 1/3rd innings. Twins’ skipper Rocco Baldelli wanted Lopez to get some work in before the playoffs start next Tuesday. Lopez will get the start in that game. The A’s pitcher, 21-year-old Joey Estes, made his second big league start.

Estes, acquired in the trade that sent Matt Olson to Atlanta last year, pitched well. Estes went five and 1/3 innings and allowed six hits and three runs. He threw 75 pitches and did not get a decision.

The Twins drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning. Estes’ first pitch to Edouard Julien flew out of the park. One pitch, one run. The Twins led 1-0. The Twins added another run in the second inning to go ahead 2-0.

With one out, Estes hit Twins’ centerfielder Willi Castro with a pitch. Castro stole second and scored on Kyle Farmer’s double to right field. The A’s right fielder, Seth Brown, almost made the play of the night on Farmer’s ball. Seth dived for the ball, but his glove hit the ground and squirted out of the glove. 

The A’s scored their first run of the night in the top of the third. Lawrence Butler led off the inning with a double. Butler went to third on Ryan Noda’s ground out. Lopez struck out Zack Gelof for the second out. Seth Brown singled to drive in Butler with the run. The A’s trailed 2-1 midway through the third.

The A’s scored three times in the fifth. With one out, Butler doubled for the second time in the game. Ryan Noda singled, sending Butler to third. Rocco Baldelli replaced Lopez with reliever Caleb Thielbar. Geldof struck out for the second out.

Aledmys Diaz, pinch-hitting for Seth Brown, doubled to drive in Butler, and Noda went to third. Brent Rooker’s bloop single to shallow right plated Noda and Diaz. The A’s led 4-2 . 

Joey Estes kept the Twins off the board after the second inning. A’s manager Mark Kotsy had Estes start the sixth inning. With one out, the Twins’ Max Kepler singled.

It was Kepler’s third single of the game. Kotsay brought in Kyle Muller to pitch. Muller struck out Jordan Luplow for the second out. The next hitter, Ryan Jeffers, homered to tie the game. It was 4-4 after six complete.

The Twins put the winning runs on the board in the bottom of the eighth. Dany Jimenez was on the hill for Oakland. Max Kepler singled for the fourth time. Andrew Stevenson was sent in to run for Kepler. Trevor Larnach pinch hit for Jordan Luplow. Larnach doubled high off the wall in right field. Stevenson scored on the play. Larnach went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Jeffers’ sacrifice fly to make it a 6-4 advantage.

The Twins had lefty Dallas Keuchel on the mound to start a second inning of relief. With one out, Keuchel walked Nick Allen. Carlos Perez, pinch-hitting for Lawrence Butler, was hit by a pitch. The A’s had two men on and one out. Baldelli brought in Griffin Jax to end the game. Jax struck out Ryan Noda and Zack Gelof to preserve the Twins’ win. The Twins win 6-4.

Game notes: With the loss, the A’s, after 158 games, are a woeful 48-110. They have the worst record of any Oakland Athletics team. The only A’s team with the worst record was the 1916 Philadelphia A’s team. That team lost 117 games.

The Twins improved to 85-73. The Twins hit two more home runs to bring their season total to 225 for the year, third best in the American League.

The line score for Oakland was four runs, nine hits, and no errors.

Minnesota’s line was six runs, thirteen hits, and no errors.

The A’s will try to salvage a win on Thursday. Luis Medina (3-10 ERA 5.64) will go for Oakland, and his opponent will be Sonny Gray (8-8 ERA 2.80), who broke in with the A’s in 2013. The game will start at 10:10 a.m. Following Thursday’s game, the A’s will finish the season with the Los Angeles Angels.