Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader hit HRs as Twins win 6-1 over A’s, who have lost 9 in a row
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ryan Jeffers homered in the first inning and drove in another run in the ninth, while Harrison Bader added a two-run shot to lead the Minnesota Twins past the Oakland Athletics 6-1 on Wednesday night. The loss extended Oakland’s skid to nine straight games.
The A’s have now dropped 20 of their last 21 contests, matching the worst 21-game stretch in franchise history — a mark last reached in 1943.
Jeffers set the tone early with a 414-foot solo blast to center field off opener Justin Sterner (1-3), giving Minnesota a lead it never relinquished. He later capped the scoring with an RBI single in the ninth.
Trevor Larnach added to the Twins’ offense with a single up the middle in the eighth. A misplay by Denzel Clarke allowed Jeffers to score all the way from first, with Larnach advancing to second. Willi Castro followed with an RBI single to stretch the lead to 5-1.
On the mound, the Twins’ bullpen was dominant. Louis Varland pitched a high-wire sixth, surrendering a double and a walk but striking out the side. Griffin Jax tossed a perfect seventh with three strikeouts, while Brock Stewart and Jhoan Duran each struck out two in hitless eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Starter Zebby Matthews (1-1) delivered a solid outing, giving up one run on four hits over five innings while walking three. He entered the game having allowed at least two earned runs in nine of his 12 career appearances.
Oakland’s only run came on Jacob Wilson’s RBI double in the fifth. The A’s left at least one runner on base in each of the first six innings but failed to break through again.
Minnesota has now won four straight and eight of its last nine meetings with Oakland.
The A’s, who have allowed a major-league-leading 96 home runs this season, are on pace to surrender 277 long balls — which would shatter the franchise record of 220 set in 1964.
Up Next:
Neither team has named a starting pitcher for Thursday’s series finale.
