MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tyler Soderstrom went 4 for 4 to stretch his hitting streak to 19 straight games, and the Athletics swept the Minnesota Twins with an 8-3 victory on Thursday.
Lawrence Butler had a three-run double, Brent Rooker added an RBI double and Nick Kurtz hit his 26th homer of the season for the young A’s, who have won eight of their last 11 games and are 18-13 since the All-Star break.
Soderstrom, who also walked to reach base all five times he batted, logged his first career four-hit game. He’s batting .370 with eight doubles, four homers and 14 RBIs in 73 at-bats during his hitting streak, which is the longest active run in the majors.
A’s rookie Jack Perkins (3-2) won his third straight start, allowing two runs in five innings, and Osvaldo Bido earned a three-inning save to finish the first sweep of the Twins since Milwaukee won all three games at Target Field from June 20-22.
Twins stopgap starter José Ureña (0-1) took the loss by giving up six runs in five innings.
Royce Lewis had an RBI double among just five hits for the Twins, who saw Brooks Lee’s streak of six straight games with an extra-base hit end.
Key moment
Kurtz, the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft who is the runaway favorite for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, sent a 1-0 sinker from reliever Michael Tonkin in the sixth inning an estimated 425 feet into the junipers behind center field.
Key stat
Ureña committed the 14th throwing error by a Twins pitcher this season. That’s the second-most in the majors behind Colorado (22), according to Sportradar.
Up next
The A’s send out RHP Luis Morales to start a three-game series in Seattle on Friday, when the Twins begin a three-game series in Chicago with RHP Zebby Matthews on the mound.
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