Ryan Jeffers and Harrison Bader hit HRs as Twins win 6-1 over A's, who have lost 9 in a row
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Jeffers hit a solo shot in the first inning and an RBI single in the ninth, Harrison Bader added a two-run homer and Minnesota Twins extended the Athletics' losing streak to nine games with a 6-1 win on Wednesday night.
The A's have one win in their last 21 games, matching the worst 21-game stretch in franchise history, most recently in 1943.
Trevor Larnach hit a single up the middle and, after an error by Denzel Clarke, Jeffers scored from first base and Larnach advanced to second. Willi Castro added an RBI single to make it 5-1 in the eighth.
Reliever Louis Varland gave up a double and a walk while he struck out the side in sixth and Griffin Jax did the same in a 1-2-3 seventh. Brock Stewart and Jhoan Duran each had two strikeouts as they worked no-hit innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively.
Zebby Matthews (1-1) — who went into the game having given up at least two earned runs in nine of his 12 career appearances — pitched five innings and allowed a run on four hits with three walks.
Jacob Wilson hit an RBI double in the fifth.
The Athletics stranded at least one runner in each of the first six innings.
Minnesota has won four in a row, and eight of its last nine, against the Athletics.
Key moment
Jeffers hit a two-strike fastball 414 feet over the wall in center off opener Justin Sterner (1-3) to make it 1-0 and the Twins led the rest of the way.
Key stat
The A's have allowed 96 home runs this season, the most in the majors, and are on pace to give up 277 this season and shatter the franchise single-season record of 220 in 1964.
Up next
Neither team has announced its starter for the finale of a four-game series on Thursday.
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