WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Zebby Matthews allowed six hits and one run over seven innings, Josh Bell drove in three runs, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Athletics 9-6 on Monday night.
Byron Buxton had three hits and scored four times, rookie Kaelen Culpepper had four hits for the first time in his 14th game, and Ryan Kreidler homered to help the Twins snap a three-game skid.
Matthews (8-8) struck out seven and gave up one walk. The right-hander has won all four of his August starts.
Tommy Nance pitched a scoreless eighth, but Yoendrys Gómez surrendered a two-run double to Jeff McNeil and back-to-back RBI doubles to Zack Gelof and Lawrence Butler in the ninth before Andrew Morris retired Tommy White on a lineout to first for his fourth save.
Kody Clemens drove in Buxton with RBI singles in the fifth and eighth innings. Culpepper singled home Bell in the eighth for the Twins’ final run.
Buxton drew a walk from Jeffrey Springs (3-12) with one out in the first after a successful challenge on a third strike call, and Bell hit his 27th double — a shot off the top of the wall in left-center field for a 1-0 lead.
Bell added a run-scoring groundout for a 2-0 lead in the second and a sacrifice fly to the wall in left field following a two-run double by Luke Keaschall for a 7-1 lead in the sixth.
Butler had an RBI single in the third for the A’s, and White had an eighth-inning sacrifice fly.
Springs gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. The left-hander had three straight wins to begin April but hasn’t in 21 starts since.
Up next
Twins RHP Taj Bradley (9-5. 3.90 ERA) starts Tuesday opposite Athletics LHP Gage Jump (5-8, 4.83).
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