Game Preview: Twins At Athletics
(AP) - The Minnesota Twins appear poised to pick up where they left off prior to the All-Star break.
They can match a season high with their fifth consecutive victory Saturday night on the road against the Oakland Athletics.
Brian Dozier hit a leadoff home run and Trevor Plouffe belted a grand slam in the sixth inning off All-Star Sonny Gray during Friday's 5-0 victory. Owners of the second-best record in the AL, the Twins (50-40) have averaged 6.0 runs, batted .287 and homered 12 times while winning seven of eight.
Minnesota, which has won two straight at Oakland after losing nine in a row there, didn't record its 50th victory last season until Aug. 3.
"I don't think it's beyond our expectations," Plouffe said. "We thought this was the team we could be."
Plouffe is hitting .368 with seven extra-base hits and eight RBIs in his last 10 games. Dozier has batted .219 in his last eight contests but has four home runs and 11 RBIs during that stretch.
Minnesota has won six straight starts by Phil Hughes (8-6, 4.32 ERA), who has gone 4-0 while receiving an average 7.20 runs of support over that span. The right-hander posted a 2.05 ERA in his first three of that stretch but has a 5.00 ERA in the last three.
He gave up four runs and eight hits, including his AL-leading 22nd homer, in five innings of a 9-5 victory over Detroit last Saturday. Hughes served up a grand slam to All-Star Stephen Vogt and a solo shot to Mark Canha plus seven other hits in six innings while not factoring in the decision of an 8-7 victory over Oakland (41-51) on May 4.
He'll be opposed by Scott Kazmir (5-5, 2.49), who allowed a season-high six runs plus seven hits in six innings of a 13-0 loss at Minnesota on May 6.
However, the left-hander is 3-1 with a 1.41 ERA and has a .173 opponent batting average in his last six starts. He hasn't allowed an earned run in 11 innings of the last two.
Kazmir left his most recent outing at Yankee Stadium on July 8 after three innings because of triceps tightness, but deemed himself ready to go after throwing bullpen sessions prior to the break.
"He's felt good every day since that night," manager Bob Melvin told MLB's official website.
Dozier is 2 for 22 with a home run against Kazmir, but Plouffe is hitting .381 when facing him.
Torii Hunter, who turns 40 on Saturday, is batting .360 in his last 12 regular-season games at Oakland.
"I got drafted at 17 and I'm still playing at 40," Hunter said. "I never thought I'd be doing that. It's just a number to me right now. I keep in shape and there are guys who keep me young. Thank God for genetics."
Vogt is 3 for 7 with that homer against Hughes. He is batting .333 (6 for 18) in his last five at home against the Twins.
Teammate Billy Butler is 4 for 32 in his last nine contests.
Updated July 18, 2015
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