Postgame Report: MIN (-205) Winner

Grant Holman took the mound to start the game and I was expecting some runs in the first but the A's pitcher managed to record three outs.  It wasn't all bad for the Pickstreak, three fly ball outs to center field.  Holman was getting timed and the Twins were making good contact on his pitches in the zone.  I was looking forward to seeing Holman in the second.  

Holman indeed emerged from the dugout and got the first out in the second, but was pulled quickly after walking Willie Castro on four straight pitches, a single from first baseman Ty France put a runner in scoring position.  A's manager, Mark Kotsay, threw a curveball of his own bringing in starter Jacob Lopez on short rest.  The rookie got out of the second and was on fire.  A Willie Castro home run in the fourth seemed to dent his armor, he pegged the next batter with a 90 mph cutter, but he recovered well, striking out Carlos Correa to close the fourth with a 2-1 lead.  Lopez struck out the side in the fifth, giving him 8 K's over 3.2 innings of work.  

The other Lopez, Twins ace Pablo Lopez, was battling early.  The A's were squaring him up.  Larry Butler hit a double in the first that led to a run.  Denzel Clarke hit a double in the second.  Tyler Soderstrom hit a triple that led to an RBI in the third.  It wasn't looking good early but he managed to get through five, keeping the Twins in the game. 

The other Lopez, rookie A's lefty Jacob, took the mound in the sixth. He had just mowed the yard in the fifth.  Four innings to go, a weak A's bullpen, one more inning from the rookie was the best bet.  The A's skipper threw a straight heater this time and it was demolished into the upper deck.  

Lopez wouldn't get out of the fourth, he allowed a pair of homers and left a pair of runners on base for reliever Osvaldo Bido.  Bido picked up where he left off before his demotion to AAA, walking Harrison Bader to load the bases and giving up a two run single to center fielder Byron Buxton, 5-2 Minnesota.

The A's would add a run in the bottom of the sixth but the Twins tacked on five off an A's bullpen that has been shelled like a tortoise.  The decision to leave Lopez in the game ultimately proved inconsequential.  

The Twins are locked in at the plate.  26 hits and 10 walks in the first two games of the series.  They'll play a third Wednesday night in Sacramento.  The A's may need an arm or two from the River Cats roster to get through that one.


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