Surging A's Beat Twins 5-3
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Marcus Semien led off the game with a home run and later tripled and homered as the Oakland Athletics kept rolling, topping the Minnesota Twins 5-3 on a sweltering Friday night.
The temperature at first pitch was 94 degrees on a humid, muggy evening. It was tied for the second-hottest start in Target Field's 10-year history, trailing only a 97-degree reading on July 16, 2012.
Players on teams appeared to have trouble at times gripping the ball. Minnesota starter Jake Odorizzi was sweating heavily. He took off his glove and peppered both arms with the rosin bag during a first-inning mound visit.
Khris Davis hit a pair of RBI singles as the A's won for the 20th time in 26 games. The AL Central-leading Twins have lost four of five.
Chris Bassitt (7-4) allowed two earned runs in five innings. Liam Hendriks earned his seventh save by retiring the final five batters.
For Odorizzi, the first was again his downfall. Fourteen of the 37 runs the All-Star has allowed this season have come in the opening inning.
Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run homer in the third for the Twins.
Davis had the first of his run-scoring singles in the first and drove in Ramón Laureano during a two-run sixth off reliever Ryne Harper (3-2).
Laureano reached base three times and is hitting .455 with six homers and 12 RBIs in 13 games in July.
TRAINER'S ROOM
A's: 3B Matt Chapman didn't start for the second straight game as he deals with left ankle soreness, but he came on as a defensive replacement in the ninth. ... LHP Sean Manaea, out all season as he recovers from left shoulder surgery, will move his rehab to Triple-A Las Vegas where he's expected to push his next start to around 70 pitches. Melvin said Manaea will make a few starts for Las Vegas and try to get his pinch count to 90 pitches.
Twins: 2B Jonathan Schoop missed his third straight game with an abdominal strain. Manager Rocco Baldelli said Schoop was going to swing and take groundballs before the game. ... OF Byron Buxton, on the seven-day disabled list with concussion-like symptoms, used Friday as a recovery day following some testing on Thursday. Baldelli said Buxton is "going to take part in some baseball activities this weekend."
UP NEXT
All-Star RHP José Berríos (8-5, 3.10 ERA) starts for Minnesota on Saturday night and is opposed by Oakland LHP Brett Anderson (9-5, 3.79). Berríos has allowed three runs in each of his past two starts, including a five-inning performance at Oakland on July 4. Anderson surrendered two runs in 6 2/3 innings against the Chicago White Sox in his first start since the All-Star break.
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