OAKLAND – Tyler Soderstrom has started the last 14 games at first base for the Oakland A’s.
If the Turlock native and 2020 first round pick keeps having games like he did in Friday’s 6-5 victory over the visiting Twins, he should have that spot for the foreseeable future.
Soderstrom was 2 for 2 with three RBIs, got on base twice more with a walk and hit by pitch, and did not commit an error. Oakland improved to 29-48 and Minnesota fell to 41-35 and dropped to third place in the AL Central.
“I was trying to be aggressive early and get something out over the plate,” Soderstrom said. “He hung a slider and i was able to recognize it and put a good swing on it.”
Sean Newcomb got the victory for Oakland despite not facing a single batter. He came in with two outs, threw two pitches, and ended the top of the eighth inning by picking off Austin Martin at first base, who was tagged out in the rundown.
Oakland had a two run advantage entering the seventh inning, but relief pitcher Austin Adams gave up a single, a walk, a three-run homer to Willi Castro and then a walk to Carlos Correa to squander the lead.
Shea Langeliers emphatically put Oakland back in front when he hit a two-run homer, his 14th round-tripper of the season, in the bottom of the eighth inning off fireballer Jhoan Duran.
“His stuff is just next level, and I was trying to shrink my zone as much as possible,” Langeliers said. “I wanted to get a pitch I could handle and put my A-swing on it.”
Oakland’s Mason Miller then used his 102 mile per hour fastball to pick up his 14th save of the year on just seven pitches.
Soderstrom and Langeliers weren’t the only former first round picks to wow the crowd of 9,158 at the Coliseum.
Minnesota’s 25-year-old phenom Royce Lewis entered the game with a .377 batting average, nine home runs and a bundle of equally impressive advanced statistics. He got serenaded with MVP chants every time he came up to bat.
While the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft couldn’t get a on base in his first two at-bats against A’s starter Joey Estes, the third time was the charm as Lewis belted a 78 MPH sweeper over the left field wall to cut the Oakland lead to two.
Trevor Larnach had put the Twins on the board in the top of the first when he drove in leadoff hitter Willi Castro. Soderstrom answered, and stayed hot against the Twins, by singling in Abraham Toro in the bottom of the frame. The Turlock native had hit safely in all four games in Minnesota last week.
Second-year second baseman Zack Gelof came into Friday’s game on a tear, having hit a home run in three consecutive games and raising his average above .200. He failed to get on base in four plate appearances
Minnesota starter Chris Paddack kept Oakland in check for a while, allowing just five hits.
A large portion of the credit belonged to solid glovework – a highlight reel leaping catch in the fourth inning among the many great plays – by third baseman Lewis and shortstop Carlos Correa on the left side of the infield.
A couple of two-out hits by Miguel Andujar and Brent Rooker finally chased Paddack out in the fifth inning. Soderstrom’s cracking double to center field saddled the starter with two more earned runs and gave Oakland a 3-1 lead.
Shea Langeliers capped the inning by dumping an RBI single into right field, giving the hosts a 4-1 lead in front of over 9,000 spectators.
Oakland starter Joey Estes went six innings and allowed five hits, two earned runs and struck out just one while issuing only a single walk on 79 pitches.
“I felt better this game, for sure,” Estes said. “I was able to attack the zone and stuck to my plan.”
JP Sears is expected to start Saturday’s game for the A’s, and Bailey Ober should take the mound for Minnesota.
