MLB LOOK AHEAD

Odorizzi, Twins go for two in a row over A’s

Field Level Media

July 19, 2019 at 7:59 am.

The Minnesota Twins snapped their longest losing streak of the season in dramatic fashion in Thursday night’s series opener with the Oakland A’s in Minneapolis.

Eddie Rosario hit a three-run, pinch-hit home run in the seventh inning to put Minnesota in front 4-3 and Mitch Garver and C.J. Cron added solo home runs an inning later in a 6-3 victory that ended a modest three-game losing stretch by the American League Central leaders.

Right-hander Jake Odorizzi (11-4, 3.06 ERA) will try to make it two in a row for the Twins on Friday night against Oakland, which will counter with right-hander Chris Bassitt (6-4, 3.98).

Odorizzi, who missed the All-Star Game because of a blister on his throwing hand, won his first start after the break, 6-2 at Cleveland on Saturday. He allowed one run on three hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings and left after throwing 89 pitches.

Odorizzi is just 1-4 with a 3.86 ERA in seven career starts against the A’s including an 8-6 loss on July 2 at Oakland. He allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits and three walks in just three-plus innings before departing with the blister problem.

Bassitt is 0-0 with a 1.54 ERA in four games (one start) against Minnesota in his career. He has won two of his last three starts and comes in off a 13-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday during which he tossed six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while striking out six.

Oakland, which had a six-game winning streak snapped with the Thursday night loss, is 36-17 since May 16 and 12-3 over its last 15 games. Second baseman Jurickson Profar hit a two-run homer in the series opener, his third in two games. That extended Oakland’s streak with a home run to 18 games.

“He’s been hitting some homers, period, but it seems like he’s getting better at-bats right now,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said of Profar. “I think he’s more comfortable at second base. He’s making some good plays and turning some double plays. … He’s playing well right now.”

Profar looked as if he was going to be the hero on Thursday night when his long blast into the second deck in the sixth inning off Kyle Gibson gave Oakland a 3-1 lead. But Rosario put the Twins ahead to stay in the seventh with his three-run shot off the facing of the second deck in right on the first pitch by reliever Yusmeiro Petit.

Rosario’s 21st home run of the season was the first pinch-hit homer of the season for Minnesota, which leads the majors with 177 home runs.

“It was an awesome feeling,” said Rosario, who was serenaded with chants of “Eddie! Eddie!”

“He loves being in those situations,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I think he fully expected to hit a home run because that’s what he does. He’s come through in so many situations, big spots. His confidence is not lacking, and that’s a huge asset for him. That’s a trait that’s going to carry him a long way. He’s just a really talented guy that can do some really interesting things out there.”