Tag: Oakland A’s

Sad Saturday Night in Seattle for the A’s

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment
7-6b
Matt Olson rounds the bases after hitting home run number 18 Photo: @Athletics

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The Oakland A’s hoped to guarantee a series win in their final set before the All-Star Break by downing the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night. That opportunity to win the series will now have to happen on Sunday in the “rubber game” of the three-game series after the A’s lost to the M’s 6-3 on Saturday night.

The A’s staked their starting pitcher Chris Bassitt to a 2-0 lead through three innings, but the game took a dramatic turn in the bottom of the fourth inning. Bassitt gave up four runs off just four hits.

With Domingo Santana on at first and no one out, DH Daniel Vogelbach launched the first pitch from Bassitt high into the right-field seats to tie the game at 2-2. The next batter, Omar Narvaez, singled to right. Kyle Seager then hit a 2-0 pitch into the right-field seats for a two-run home run. The inning ended with the M’s up 4-2, and they would never look back after that frame.

Focus on the A’s

7-6a
Graphic/Photo: @Athletics
  • Bassitt was charged with the loss and his record fell to 5-4 on the season. Bassitt gave up multiple home runs for the first time since May 21st in Cleveland. This was just the second time in 14 games that he had allowed more than three runs.
  • Matt Olson hit his 18th home run of the year in the third inning. Those 18 round-trippers have come in just 50 games. Interesting fact: 12 of his 18 home runs have been hit on the road.
  • Ramon Laureano put another home run in the scorebook. He hit his 15th HR of the season in the top of the ninth inning. Seven of his home runs and 22 of his 44 RBI have come in the last 22 games.
  • Bob Melvin said after the game, “He (Bassitt) got off to a good start, he was throwing hard. Everything looked like it was working. Then, he ends up getting a couple of two-run homers and now we’re behind. Maybe not his best outing and I just couldn’t let something happen with Vogelbach at the plate. Looks like he had good stuff today, it just happened quickly on him.”

Mariner’s notes

7-6c
Gonzales recorded his 10th win Photo: @Mariners
  • Marco Gonzales recorded his 10th win of the season in this game. He worked 8.0-innings giving up two runs (both earned) on five hits. Gonzales struck out six and walked just one. He has now recorded 10 wins before the All-Star Break in back-to-back seasons.
  • Daniel Vogelbach hit his 21st home run the year on Saturday night. The launch angle on his home run was 43 degrees. It was truly a “moon shot”.
  • Kyle Seager ended an 0-for-21 streak at the plate when he hit his two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. This was his first HR since June 21.
  • There has been a home run hit in each one of the Mariners first 93 games this season. That is an MLB record.
  • Bob Melvin on Marco Gonzales: “It seems like we’ve played that game against him where we’ve had him on the ropes early in the game and he’s limited the damage and ended up going seven or eight innings. It feels like we’ve played that game quite often against him. So you’ve got to give him some credit. We would have liked to have (done) a little bit more damage early on and scored a few more runs and got a little more distance but we didn’t and he settles in and pitches well.”

Up next

RHP Daniel Mengden (3-1, 4.67 ERA) will take the hill on Sunday for the A’s. The M’s will use RHP Matt Carasiti (0-0, 1.80 ERA) to open the game with the plan being to turn the game over to Wade LeBlanc as the primary pitcher. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 PM PDT.

A’s Rally in 7th for 5-2 Win Over M’s

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Matthew Harrington

The Oakland A’s rallied in the seventh inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 5-2 on the road Friday night. Franklin Barreto hit his first homerun of the season, Robbie Grossman knocked in two runs and Brett Anderson went six-plus innings for the win. Newly minted All-star and closer Liam Hendriks nailed down his fourth save of the year.

Seattle took the lead in the first off a J.P. Crawford sacrifice fly, but Barreto’s big fly off starter Yusei Kikuchi tied the game. Tom Murphy lifted a solo fly off Anderson in the bottom of the fifth to give Seattle a 2-1 edge. 

Kikuchi was cruising through six innings having given up just the one run, but he ran into trouble in the seventh. Matt Olson hit a ground-rule double to open the inning then scored on Khris Davis’ single and a throwing error by Domingo Santana in right. Mark Canha grounded out to move Davis to 3rd, then Davis scored on Ramon Laureano’s sacrifice fly for a 3-2 A’s lead.

Kikuchi (4-6, 4.94 ERA) would escape the inning, but wound up the loser after going seven innings with four hits and three runs (two earned) allowed. Anderson (9-5, 3.86 ERA), by virtue of the rally, wound up the winner after going 6 1/3 innings with five hits and two runs.

Robbie Grossman gave the A’s breathing room in the top of the ninth, knocking a one-hopper to the wall off Dan Altavilla good for two runs. Hendriks, crowned the A’s closer with Treinen injured, pitched a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts to close out the contest after Ryan Buchter and Yusmeiro Petit bridged the gap between Anderson and the closer. 

Semien powers the A’s to a 7-2 win over the Twins

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @atleticos

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — On a very lovely Thursday at the Oakland Coliseum, the A’s beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 to win the three-game series 2-1. A’s shortstop Marcus Semien was the hero as he blasted two home runs and drove in five to lead the A’s to a 7-2 victory.

A’s starter Tanner Anderson was looking for his first win of the season, but it didn’t happen for him as he was removed from the game with two out in the fifth inning. He was replaced by Wei-Chung Wang. The young Taiwanese lefty was the winning pitcher and earned his first major league win.

The Twins drew first blood in the top of the first with an unearned run. Tanner Anderson retired the first two hitters he faced. He gave up singles to Nelson Cruz and Luis Arraez. He walked Miguel Sano to load the bases. The next hitter, Ehire Adrianza, was awarded first base when A’s catcher Chris Herrmann interfered with his swing. Herrmann was charged with an error. Cruz trotted home with the Twins’ first run.

The A’s tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. A’s DH Khris Davis led off with a single. Twins’ starter Jose Berrios retired the next two hitters. Robbie Grossman and Chris Herrmann each singled. Herrmann’s single allowed Davis to score. The score was 1-1 after four.

The tie didn’t last long as the Twins put their second run of the game on the board in the top of the fifth. Nelson Cruz, who loves to torment the A’s, led off with a double. Cruz went to third on a wild pitch. Anderson retired the next two hitters. He did not get by Ehire Adrianza who singled to drive in Cruz. Jonathan Schoop followed with a single, and that ended Anderson’s day. A’s manager brought in Wei-Chung Wang to pitch. Wang got Jason Castro to fly out for the final out of the inning. In the A’s half of the fifth, they were able to grab the lead 3-2. Marcus Semien led off the frame with his 12th bomb of the season. Matt Chapman walked and moved to second on a single by Matt Olson. Berrios walked Khris Davis to load the bases. Mark Canha had a golden opportunity to break the game open, but he hit into a double play. Chapman scored on the play. Berrios got Laureano to fly out to Max Kepler in right to end the inning. The A’s led 3-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, Marcus Semien hit a grand slam to blow open the game for the A’s. Robbie Grossman and Chris Herrman singled to start the rally. Jurickson Profar was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no out. Marcus Semien, who had hit a solo home run in the fifth, sent the first pitch from Mike Morin over the fence for a grand slam and the A’s now led 7-2. A’s manager Bob Melvin, brought in Joakim Soria to pitch the ninth. The Twins right-fielder, Max Kepler, doubled to start the inning, but Soria settled down and retired the next three hitters to ice the win for Oakland. The A’s won 7-2.

Game Notes and Stats: The A’s, with the win, improve to 48-40 and now lead the Texas Rangers by one game in the race for second place in the AL West. They trail the first place Houston Astros by 7 1/2 games.

The A’s had three players that had multiple hits in the game. These three had nine of the A’s 12 hits. Robbie Grossman had three singles. Chris Herrmann had his first four-hit game. He had a double and three singles. Semien had two hits, both home runs. Semien’s first was a solo blast in the fifth, and a grand slam in the eighth. Semien has hit 13 so far this season. His five RBI game matched a career-high, It was also his fifth career two-homer game, and his fourth career grand slam.

The line score for Oakland was seven runs, 12 hits, and one error. The Twins’ line was two runs, 11 hits, and no errors. The winning pitcher was Wang, and Jose Berrios took the loss. Berrios is now 8-5 for the year.

Time of game was three hours and 20 minutes. 20,836 fans watched the A’s win.

Up Next: The A’s travel to Seattle to face the Mariners for three games before the All-Star break. Lefty Brett Anderson will pitch for the Green and Gold Friday night. Brett is 8-5 and has an ERA of 3.92. Seattle’s Yusei Kikuchi (4-5, 5.12 ERA) will be on the hill for the M’s. Kikuchi is also left-handed.

Oakland A’s podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Short turn around as A’s-Twins play day game after 12 inning night game

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

photo from sfgate.com: Minnesota Twins’ Jorge Polanco, right, is congratulated by third base coach Tony Diaz (46) after hitting a home run off Oakland Athletics’ Joakim Soria in the eighth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, July 3, 2019, in Oakland

On the A’s podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The Oakland A’s got a loss on Wednesday night against one of the American League’s toughest teams the Minnesota Twins in extra innings 4-3 snapping their four game win streak . The Twins on Wednesday night battled the A’s 3-3 and as good as they are got the game winner in the top 12th for the win.

#2 The A’s during this streak defeated the Los Angeles Angels in three straight games and took the first game of the series against the Twins 8-6. The A’s despite Wednesday night’s loss continue to battle in each inning.

#3 Ironically the A’s faced the late Tyler Skaggs in Anaheim for Skaggs final game of his career.

#4 The talk about an A’s new stadium continued at the Oakland City Council last week regarding mass transit needed for the city council to continue to consider having the A’s to move at Howard Terminal. The issue has been about the railroads and Amtrak rails that encircle Jack London Square making it a huge challenge for rail and mass transit to work at Jack London Square.

#5 Game three of the series between the Oakland A’s and the Minnesota Twins at the Oakland Coliseum. Starting for the Twins Jose Berrios (8-4 ERA 2.89) and for the Oakland A’s Tanner Anderson (0-3 ERA 7.13)

Join Jerry for the A’s podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports with Amaury Pi-Gonzalez for Tony Renteria: US Women’s team set to meet the Netherlands Sunday; Will Angels regroup and battle for a playoff spot?; plus more

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @dabeard

On Headline Sports with Amaury Pi Gonzalez for Tony Renteria:

#1 The US Women’s soccer team will be playing the Netherlands Women’s team on Sunday. The US Team has had a great ride to get into the finals the last game they played they defeated the English Women’s team 2-1.

#2 Megan Rapinoe has been the face of the team politically. She said she won’t go to the White House and would put her hand over her heart during the anthem, and accepted an invitation from NY Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to meet at the House of Representatives after the finals. How much of a influence was Rapinoe for the women’s team during this World Cup?

#3 The LA Angels’ Tommy LaStella fouled a pitch off his right leg breaking his fibula and will be out for six weeks of action and will miss the All-Star break. This came right after the Angels lost pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died in his sleep on Monday.

#4 The Oakland A’s are coming on after taking three of four from the Angels and winning the first game against the Minnesota Twins 8-6 — one of baseball’s best teams on Tuesday night.

#5 With the departures of Jordan Bell, Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala from the Golden State Warriors, are the Warriors now considered just an average NBA team?

Tony does Headline Sports each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Twins need 12 innings to beat the A’s 4-3 and even the series

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Twins

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Minnesota Twins and Oakland A’s struggled through 12 innings before the Twins were able to break through for a 4-3 win at O.co Coliseum on Wednesday night. The A’s took an early 3-0 lead in the second inning, but the Twins held them scoreless the rest of the way. In the meantime, the Twins scored one in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings to tie the game. The A’s had their chances, but failed to capitalize.

Mike Fiers started for Oakland and went six-plus innings and allowed five hits and two runs. Twins starter Kyle Gibson also worked six innings, and gave up five hits and three runs. Gibson’s only mistake was serving up a gopher ball to Ramon Laureano.

The A’s put three on the board in the second inning. A’s DH Khris Davis reached on an error. Kyle Gibson issued a walk to Mark Canha to put two men on with no out. Ramon Laureano followed with an Earl Weaver special, a three-run homer. Gibson finished the inning with no further damage.

The Twins scored their first run of the game in the top of the sixth. Twins second baseman Jonathan Schoop led off with a single. Fiers retired Byron Buxton for the first out of the inning. Max Kepler singled to move Schoop to second. Both players advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Twins catcher Mitch Garver singled to drive in Schoop. Fiers retired the next two hitters. Ramon Laureano made a sliding catch to retire Jorge Polanco for the second out, and A’s third baseman showed off his fielding skills as he made a nice running catch to rob C.J. Cron of a hit and end the inning. The A’s lead 3-1 midway through the sixth.

The Twins scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh to close the gap to one. Rookie Luis Arraez led off with a single. The Twins were able to bring in Arraez for the score when Franklin Barreto made two errors on the same play. He failed to touch second for a force out and then threw the ball past Matt Olson at first. The A’s then caught former Giant Ehire Adrianza trying to steal home. A’s reliever Yusmeiro Petit struck out Byron Buxton for the final out.

The Twins tied the game in the top of the eighth. With two out, the Twins’ DH Jorge Polanco, who will be going to the All-Star game, homered off Joakim Soria. The game was knotted at three apiece with the A’s coming to bat.

The Twins scored a  run in the 12th. Bob Melvin brought in Blake Treinen to pitch. Treinen came off the 10-day IL and was rusty. He struck out Schoop for the first out. He then walked Byron Buxton and Max Kepler to put a man in scoring position. Mitch Garver singled to drive in Buxton to put the Twins ahead 4-3. Melvin replaced Treinen with Brian Schlitter, and he got C.J. Cron to hit into an inning-ending double play. In the A’s half of the inning, Matt Chapman reached on an error. Twins’ reliever Taylor Rogers struck out Matt Olson for the first out. Jurickson Profar, who ran for Khris Davis earlier, singled to left. Chapman went to third on the play  Profar was called out at second after he was called safe. The Twins challenged the call, and it was overturned. Rogers struck out Mark Canha to preserve the win for the Twins. The Twins won 4-3.

Game Notes and Stats: With the loss, the A’s drop to 47-40. They remain in second place in the AL West as the Texas Rangers lost to the Angels again. The Twins improved to 54-31.

Jorge Polanco’s home run in the eighth was the Twins’ 161st of the year. They have four games left to break the record they share with the Yanks for most home runs before the All-Star break. The A’s used seven pitchers. Treinen took the loss. Blake Parker was credited with the win.

The line score for Minnesota was four runs, 10 hits, and two errors. The A’s line was three runs, eight hits, and two errors.

Time of game was four hours and 40 minutes. 31,570 people saw the A’s lose.

Up Next: Game three of the series will be played on Thursday at 1:00 pm. Tanner Anderson will go for Oakland, and he will be opposed by Jose Berrios.

Herrmann hits grand slam in 1st game with A’s; Oakland edges Twins 8-6

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The A’s won their fourth straight to go eight games over the .500 mark with a record of 47-39. It was not easy as they were facing the AL Central first place Minnesota Twins. The Twins have a lineup loaded with guys that can hit the ball out of the park. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has the team playing well and the A’s were hoping their starter Daniel Mengden could subdue the Twins’ hitter. In addition, the A’s were facing the Twins’ best pitcher Jake Odorizzi, who entered the game with a sparkling record of 10-3 and an ERA of 2.73.

The Twins put two runs on the board in the top of the second inning. With two out, Twins rookie second baseman, 22-year-old Luis Arraez singled to start the rally. Third baseman Miguel Sano took Mengden deep for his 13th tater of the season. The Twins led 2-0 halfway through the second.

The Twins took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third. The A’s came back with two in their half of the third. A’s second baseman Franklin Barreto led off with a double. He tagged up and went to third on Marcus Semien’s fly out to left. Matt Chapman struck out, but the other Matt, Matt Olson hammered his 17th homer to make it a 3-2 game.

The A’s took the lead for the first time in the bottom of the fourth. A’s right fielder Mark Canha reached on an error. Twins starter Jake Odorizzi walked Ramon Laureano to put two men on with no out. Robbie Grossman followed with a bloop single to center to load the base, A’s catcher, Chris Herrmann, making his first start as an Oakland Athletic, made his first hit memorable. His hit is the stuff that players dream about when they were kids. Just imagine coming to the plate with the bases loaded and hitting a grand slam for your first hit with your new team. That is exactly what happened. Herrmann’s blast sent Odorizzi to the showers. The A’s now led 6-3.

The Twins, who were loaded with power hitters, cut the deficit to two when catcher Jason Castro homered off Mengden to make it 6-4. The A’s got the run back in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Mark Canha walked. Ramon Laureano doubled into the corner in left field. Third base coach Matt Williams waved Canha home. Twins’ left fielder Marwyn Gonzalez’s throw home nailed Canha. Laureano took third on the throw home. Grossman singled to drive in Laureano to give the A’s the lead 7-4 after five complete.

The Twins showed the reason they are in first place in the AL Central. With one out, Marwyn Gonzalez singled to start the rally. Gonzalez tormented the A’s when he was with Houston and he continued to do so Tuesday night. Mengden retired C.J.Cron for the second out. Luis Arraez, who singled in the second inning, slammed a  double to left-center-field to drive in Gonzalez with the Twins’ fifth run of the game. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Yusmeiro Petit to pitch. Petit retired Sano for the third out. The A’s failed to score in the bottom of the sixth. They still led the Twins 7-5 after six.

The Twins’ Jason Castro led off the seventh with his second solo dinger of the game to make it a one-run contest. Oakland still led 7-6 midway through the seventh. The A’s Mark Canha responded with his 12th homer in the bottom of the seventh to give the A’s a two-run cushion 8-6 heading into the eighth inning.

The Twins failed to score in the eighth. In the ninth, the A’s brought in Liam Hendriks to close out the game. Hendriks gave up a single to Miguel Sano.  Hendriks settled down and struck out Jason Castro for the first out. Castro had a double and two solo home runs and getting a strikeout was just the tonic Hendriks needed. He struck out Byron Buxton for the second out. Hendriks had to deal with the dangerous left-handed hitter Max Kepler. Kepler has hit 21 homers to lead the Twins in that department and also represented the tying run at the plate. Hendriks won the battle as he got Kepler to fly out to center for the final out of the game. The A’s won 8-6.

Game Notes and Stats: The A’s won their fourth game in a row to improve to 47-39. The A’s moved into second place in the AL West as the LA Angels beat the Texas Rangers 9-4. The A’s did not gain any ground on the Houston Astros as they rallied to beat the Colorado Rockies 9-8. The Twins drop to 53-31 for the year.

Daniel Mengen was the winning pitcher and his record improved to 3-1. Liam Hendriks earned his third save. The loss went to Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi is now 10-4 for 2019.

The A’s line score was eight runs, eight hits, and no errors. The Twins’ line score was six runs, 10 hits, and one error.

The A’s observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of Angels’ pitcher Tyler Skaggs. Skaggs passed away yesterday in Texas. He was 27-years-old. A very sad time for his family, the Angels, and everyone that loves baseball.

The A’s hit three homes to increase their total for the season to 136.  They have seven players with 10 or more home runs which are second-most in the majors. The Twins have eight. The Twins also hit three homers and now have 160 with five games remaining before the All-Star break. The Yankees set the record last year with 161.

Time of game was three hours and 20 minutes and a crowd of 13,926 people went home happy as the A’s won 8-6.

Up Next: Game two will start at 6:07 pm Wednesday. Mike Fiers (8-3, 4.01 ERA) will go for Oakland and Kyle Gibson (8-4, 4.21 ERA) will go to the mound for the Twins.

Following Wednesday night’s game, the A’s will have a fireworks show that will honor the military and the Fourth of July.

Oakland A’s podcast with Charlie O: Twins come into Oakland as 1 of the hottest teams in the AL

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Twins

On the A’s podcast with Charlie O:

#1 The A’s open a three-game series at the Oakland Coliseum against the Minnesota Twins. The A’s are coming off a 5-1 road trip for A’s manager Bob Melvin winning on the road is crucial.

#2 How impressive the race has become the A’s are in second place in the American League West and are second in the AL for the wild card?

#3 The Twins are at the Coliseum and for three and are the leading team in the AL Central 50-30 and eight games in front of Cleveland.

#4 The Twins are potent. Nine of the hitters that they have in the lineup have hit 10 home runs this season so to say the Twins are having a good season is an understatement.

#5 It’s the Twins and A’s on Tuesday night at the Coliseum. Starting for the Twins Jake Odorizzi (10-3, 2.73 ERA), and for the A’s, Daniel Mengden (2-1, 4.03 ERA).

Charlie O does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sportstalk remote podcast at One Market Restaurant San Francisco Monday July 1, 2019

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: onemarket.com

Cast: Michael Duca (host), David Zizmor (analyst), Jeremy Kahn (Giants beat writer), Morris Phillips (A’s and Giants beat writer), Amaury Pi-Gonzalez (Oakland A’s Spanish announcer), and Lee Leonard (producer).

Our thanks to our hosts at One Market: Larry Bouchard (Owner/Partner), Tonya Pitts (Wine Director & Sommelier) and Catlin Roche (server). On an unbelievable Monday night in downtown San Francisco, Sportstalk was enjoying the fine dining selections from the One Market menu, Halibut,  Steak, Scallops, New York Steak, Red Snapper, and much more.

We are glad to return to One Market Restaurant for the first time since Thursday, October 20, 2016, which seems like yesterday. On today’s podcast: Discussions on the Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala’s departure to Brooklyn and Memphis respectively. Will San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner be dealt before the trade deadline and the New York Yankees make it no secret their interested.

Preview of the 3-game series between the A’s and Twins

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s are enjoying an off-day on Monday after finishing a six-game road trip with a 5-1 record. The A’s are now just 1/2 game behind the Texas Rangers for second place in the AL West and for the second slot in the Wild Card race.

The A’s will play the next three games at home with the AL Central Division leading Minnesota Twins. The Twins, under first-year manager Rocco Baldelli, have a record of 53-30 and own an eight-game lead over the second place Cleveland Indians.

The Twins have a power-packed lineup. Six of the nine hitters in the lineup have hit more than 10 home runs so far this season. The other three need just one or two more dingers to reach that level. The Twins star left fielder, Eddie Rosario, will not play in the series. Rosario is hitting .280 and has 20 homers and 60 RBIs so far. He is on the 10-day IL with a sprained left ankle. Marwyn Gonzalez, the former Astro, will take his place. The A’s will see Byron Buxton in center and Max Kepler in right. The German-born Kepler leads the team with 21 dingers. All the infielders can hit the ball out of the park. Former LA Angels first baseman, C.J. Cron, is hitting .271, and has hit 17 big flies, and knocked in 52. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop is playing well with a .251  average and has hit 13 out of the park. Shortstop Jorge Polanco, who will be going to the All-Star Game in Cleveland, leads the team in hitting with a .320 average and he has 11 homers and 39 RBIs on his resume. Miguel Sano is a third. He is not hitting for average, but he is a power threat every time he goes to the plate. Jason Castro will handle the catching. Nelson Cruz will be the DH. Cruz, who loves to hit against Oakland, is having an excellent season with 16 homers and 46 runs batted in.

On Tuesday, the Twins will send their All-Star starter, Jake Odorizzi, to the hill. Odorizzi (10-3, 2.73 ERA) pitched exceptionally well in May. In June, however, Odorizzi has allowed 11 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings of work over his last three starts. The A’s Daniel Mengden will be making his second start since being recalled from Las Vegas last month. Mengden was sensational in his start against the St. Louis Cardinals last week in St. Louis. He pitched six innings of shutout baseball. Mengden will be making his first career start against Minnesota.

Wednesday’s game will feature the Twins’ Kyle Gibson (8-4, 4.21 ERA) going against the A’s Tanner Anderson (0-3, 7.13 ERA). Anderson was roughed up in his last start last Thursday against the LA Angels. He, too, will be making his first career start against the Twins.

On Thursday, the Fourth of July, the A’s will and the ball to Mike Fiers (8-3, 4.01 ERA). Fiers has an ERA of 2.61 in his last 12 starts, which is the sixth lowest in the AL over that span. He has a record of 6-1 and an ERA of 2.77 in 11 (10 starts) games against the Twins. Jose Berrios (8-4, 2.89 ERA) pitches for Minnesota. Berrios pitched last Friday and was tagged for six runs (three earned) against the White Sox in six innings of work. That effort allowed the Twins’ bullpen to get some rest after an 18-inning game the night before.

The Twins have two pitchers that have 10 save each for the team. The Twins will use either righty Blake Parker or lefty Taylor Rogers as the closer. Pitchers that will see action in the series include Trevor May, Matt Magill, Ryne Harper, Mike Morin, Tyler Duffey, and lefty Lewis Thorpe.

The A’s will be without the services of Stephen Piscotty. Piscotty injured his right knee sliding into second base Saturday night. Piscotty had an MRI done on Monday to see the extent of the damage if any. He is on the 10-day IL.

Following the three-game set with the Twins, the A’s travel to Seattle for three with the Mariners. The A’s will resume play at home against the Chicago White Sox after a four-day break for the MLB All-Star game that will be played in Cleveland. A’s third baseman Matt Chapman will be making his first appearance as an All-Star.