Athletics at Twins
The Minnesota Twins have been flexing their muscles all year, and they did so again in the series opener in order to halt their season-high three-game slide. Minnesota hopes to continue the power surge when it hosts the Oakland Athletics on Friday for the second contest of their four-game set.
The Twins appeared on their way to a fourth straight setback on Thursday when they belted three of their major league-leading 177 homers over their final two innings to turn a two-run deficit into a 6-3 victory. Eddie Rosario hit a three-run shot in the seventh to give Minnesota a 4-3 lead while Mitch Garver and C.J. Cron launched solo blasts in the eighth for Minnesota, which maintained its four-run lead over Cleveland in the American League Central. Ramon Laureano recorded three hits and scored twice while Jurickson Profar launched a two-run shot as Oakland, which is in a virtual tie with Tampa Bay for the second wild-card spot in the AL, saw its six-game winning streak come to an end. Matt Olson singled in the season opener to extend his hitting streak, which began on June 30, to 13 games.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Oakland), FS North (Minnesota)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Chris Bassitt (6-4, 3.98 ERA) vs. Twins RH Jake Odorizzi (11-4, 3.06)
Bassitt bounced back from a shellacking in Seattle by scattering four hits over six scoreless innings in a victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. The 30-year-old native of Ohio has allowed more than three earned runs in only two of his 15 outings this season and just once in his last eight turns. Bassitt has made one start and three relief appearances against Minnesota in his career, yielding two runs and eight hits over 11 2/3 frames without recording a decision.
Odorizzi returned from a stint on the injured list to record a win in Cleveland on Saturday as he allowed one run and three hits over 5 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old from Illinois has been superb at home this year, going 6-0 with a 2.27 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and .192 opponents' batting average while recording 55 strikeouts and 11 walks over 47 2/3 frames in eight outings. Odorizzi fell to 1-4 with a 3.86 ERA in seven career starts against the Athletics on July 2, when he surrendered six runs on four hits and three walks in three innings at Oakland before exiting with a blister on his right middle finger that landed him on the IL.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rosario has driven in a run in seven of his last eight games, collecting 11 RBIs in that span.
2. Oakland All-Star 3B Matt Chapman was held out of Thursday's starting lineup after leaving the previous day's contest with a sore left ankle.
3. Minnesota recalled Kohl Stewart from Triple-A Rochester prior to the series opener and designated fellow RHP Matt Magill for assignment.