The skid continues.
The A’s fell to Minnesota 6-5 at Target Field on Friday night as the Twins’ Max Kepler delivered a game-winning single off Scott Alexander in the bottom of the 10th inning, extending Oakland’s losing streak to seven games.
The A’s loss marked the third time in four days that they’ve been victimized by a walk-off hit, as they fell to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday and Wednesday by way of the home run.
Six batters in, Oakland was in a good position to get back in the win column, owning a quick 4-0 lead thanks to its catcher.
With the bases loaded, Shea Langeliers sat on Simeon Woods Richardson’s hanging slider and sent the mistake into the left-field bleachers for his first grand slam.
With the way Mitch Spence began his night, those four runs appeared to be more than enough. Spence, coming off seven innings of two-run ball in his last start, allowed one run through the first five innings. In the sixth, the Twins had their counter.
With one out, Kepler snuck a game-tying, three-run homer over the right-center field fence, tying the game up at four apiece and denying Spence a second consecutive quality start. Spence recorded one more out before A’s manager Mark Kotsay went to his bullpen.
The A’s briefly took the lead in the seventh inning when Brent Rooker tripled home JJ Bleday, but lost that advantage in the eighth as the Twins scored without recording a hit.
Lucas Erceg, making his second appearance back from the injured list, faced four batters and recorded just one out. Following Max Schuemann’s fielding error, Erceg plunked Kepler and walked Jose Miranda to load the bases.
Kotsay called upon closer Mason Miller, who subsequently walked Carlos Santana and tied the game at five. Miller prevented further damage, but Oakland had lost its second lead of the night.
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The A’s failed to score in the top of the 10th inning, setting the stage for more Kepler heroics. After Kotsay chose to issue an intentional walk to Carlos Correa, Kepler lined the first pitch he saw off from Alexander that went off first baseman Tyler Soderstrom’s glove and into right field, easily scoring Austin Martin.
UP NEXT: RHP Joey Estes (2-2, 4.78 ERA) is set to start Saturday for Oakland against RHP Bailey Ober (5-4, 5.13).
