AL: OAKLAND at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OAKLAND (3) AT MINNESOTA (5) - HOW THEY SCORED ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MINNESOTA 3RD: L Castillo doubled to deep center. J Bartlett singled to right, L Castillo to third. J Mauer grounded out to pitcher, L Castillo scored, J Bartlett to second. M Cuddyer grounded out to third. J Morneau flied out to left. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 1. MINNESOTA 4TH: T Hunter singled to left. J Kubel flied out to center. J Cirillo flied out to center. N Punto reached on infield single to shortstop, T Hunter to second, T Hunter to third, N Punto to second on throwing error by shortstop B Crosby. L Castillo singled to right, T Hunter and N Punto scored. J Bartlett flied out to left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 3. MINNESOTA 6TH: K Calero relieved L DiNardo. T Hunter struck out swinging. J Kubel walked. J Kubel to second on wild pitch by K Calero. J Cirillo tripled to deep left center, J Kubel scored. N Punto hit sacrifice fly to left, J Cirillo scored. L Castillo grounded out to pitcher. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 5. OAKLAND 9TH: J Rincon relieved P Neshek. N Swisher hit by pitch. E Chavez homered to right, N Swisher scored. D Johnson flied out to left. M Ellis singled to center. J Nathan relieved J Rincon. B Crosby grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, M Ellis out at second. B Crosby to second on fielder's indifference. J Kendall doubled to left, B Crosby scored. S Stewart grounded out to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3, MINNESOTA 5.</div>
AL: OAKLAND at MINNESOTA <div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ OAKLAND (3) AT MINNESOTA (5) - EVENT LOG ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oakland Starting Lineups -- S Stewart LF, B Kielty RF, J Cust DH, N Swisher CF, E Chavez 3B, D Johnson 1B, M Ellis 2B, B Crosby SS, J Kendall C, L DiNardo LHP. Minnesota Starting Lineups -- L Castillo 2B, J Bartlett SS, J Mauer C, M Cuddyer RF, J Morneau 1B, T Hunter CF, J Kubel LF, J Cirillo DH, N Punto 3B, J Santana LHP. Umpires -- Jim Reynolds (HP), Tim Welke (1B), Lance Barksdale (2B), Gary Cederstrom (3B). Gametime Weather: INDOORS. OAKLAND 1ST: S Stewart struck out swinging. B Kielty struck out swinging. J Cust singled to center. N Swisher struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 0. MINNESOTA 1ST: L Castillo singled to center. J Bartlett reached on infield single to pitcher, L Castillo to second. J Mauer lined into double play, to shortstop, L Castillo doubled off second. M Cuddyer walked, J Bartlett to second. J Morneau walked, J Bartlett to third, M Cuddyer to second. T Hunter grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, J Morneau out at second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 0. OAKLAND 2ND: E Chavez struck out looking. D Johnson singled to right. M Ellis popped out to second. B Crosby grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 0. MINNESOTA 2ND: J Kubel grounded out to second. J Cirillo grounded out to third. N Punto grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 0. OAKLAND 3RD: J Kendall fouled out to third. S Stewart flied out to right. B Kielty singled to center. J Cust struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 0. MINNESOTA 3RD: L Castillo doubled to deep center. J Bartlett singled to right, L Castillo to third. J Mauer grounded out to pitcher, L Castillo scored, J Bartlett to second. M Cuddyer grounded out to third. J Morneau flied out to left. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 1. OAKLAND 4TH: N Swisher struck out looking. E Chavez grounded out to shortstop. D Johnson walked. M Ellis struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 1. MINNESOTA 4TH: T Hunter singled to left. J Kubel flied out to center. J Cirillo flied out to center. N Punto reached on infield single to shortstop, T Hunter to second, T Hunter to third, N Punto to second on throwing error by shortstop B Crosby. L Castillo singled to right, T Hunter and N Punto scored. J Bartlett flied out to left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 3. OAKLAND 5TH: B Crosby fouled out to third. J Kendall flied out to left. S Stewart grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 3. MINNESOTA 5TH: J Mauer bunt grounded out to catcher. M Cuddyer doubled to left center. J Morneau lined into double play, second to shortstop, M Cuddyer doubled off second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 3. OAKLAND 6TH: B Kielty singled to center. J Cust struck out swinging. N Swisher fouled out to first. E Chavez grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 3. MINNESOTA 6TH: K Calero relieved L DiNardo. T Hunter struck out swinging. J Kubel walked. J Kubel to second on wild pitch by K Calero. J Cirillo tripled to deep left center, J Kubel scored. N Punto hit sacrifice fly to left, J Cirillo scored. L Castillo grounded out to pitcher. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 5. OAKLAND 7TH: D Johnson flied out to right. M Ellis popped out to second. B Crosby flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 5. MINNESOTA 7TH: S Casilla relieved K Calero. J Bartlett grounded out to shortstop. J Mauer flied out to left. M Cuddyer singled to center. J Morneau flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 5. OAKLAND 8TH: P Neshek relieved J Santana. J Kendall reached on infield single to third, J Kendall to second on throwing error by third baseman N Punto. S Stewart grounded out to third. B Kielty flied out to center. J Cust grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 5. MINNESOTA 8TH: C Lewis relieved S Casilla. T Hunter walked. J Kubel flied out to center. J Cirillo hit by pitch, T Hunter to second. L Ford ran for J Cirillo. N Punto struck out looking. L Castillo walked, T Hunter to third, L Ford to second. J Bartlett struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 0, MINNESOTA 5. OAKLAND 9TH: J Rincon relieved P Neshek. N Swisher hit by pitch. E Chavez homered to right, N Swisher scored. D Johnson flied out to left. M Ellis singled to center. J Nathan relieved J Rincon. B Crosby grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, M Ellis out at second. B Crosby to second on fielder's indifference. J Kendall doubled to left, B Crosby scored. S Stewart grounded out to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) OAKLAND 3, MINNESOTA 5.</div>
Santana brilliant as Twins top Athletics <h3>MINNESOTA 5, OAKLAND 3</h3>MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Since 2003, Johan Santana has dominatedafter the All-Star break. On Friday, he continued the trend. Santana hurled seven scoreless innings and Luis Castillo drovein two runs to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 5-3 victory overthe Oakland Athletics on Friday night. Joe Mauer and Jeff Cirillo each knocked in a run for the Twins(47-43), who improved to four games above .500. Minnesota hasnot been five games over the break-even mark since April 21. With the win, Santana (11-6) improved to an astonishing 41-4after the All-Star Game since 2003. In this one, he allowedjust four hits while striking out eight and walking one. Santana started the game strong, striking out four of the firstfive batters he faced. His only 1-2-3 innings were the fifthand seventh, but he did not allow of the five baserunners reachsecond. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner has earnedthe win in each of his last five starts, posting a 1.03 ERAduring that stretch. Although he did not need it, Santana got plenty of help from theTwins' offense. After loading the bases but failing to score in the firstinning, Minnesota got to Oakland starter Lenny DiNardo in thethird. Castillo, who finished the contest with three hits and two RBI,doubled to lead off the frame and Jason Bartlett singled to putrunners on the corners. Mauer followed with a groundout toscore the game's first run. In the fourth, Castillo again was involved, hitting a two-outsingle to score a pair of runs. After Torii Hunter singled tostart the frame, Nick Punto hit a two-out grounder between thirdbaseman Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby that the shortstopbackhanded but threw wildly, putting runners on second andthird. Castillo then safely dropped a 2-2 pitch into shallow rightfield, just past the outstretched glove of second baseman MarkEllis. DiNardo (3-6) lost for the fourth time in five decisions,allowing three runs - two earned - and eight hits in fiveinnings. But he stood little chance against Santana. Bobby Kielty had a pair of singles and Dan Johnson reached basetwice, but Jack Cust was the only other Oakland hitter to reachagainst Santana. Former Twin Shannon Stewart went 0-for-5,ending his 15-game hitting streak. The Twins added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth inning offreliever Kiko Calero, as Cirillo tripled home Jason Kubel andscored on a sacrifice fly by Punto. Minnesota reliever Pat Neshek worked around a single and anerror in the eighth inning and Joe Nathan tossed the ninth tonotch his 17th save in 19 chances. Bartlett and Michael Cuddyer each had two hits for the Twins. Chavez blasted a two-run homer for the Athletics (44-46), wholost their fifth straight contest, fell to 3-8 in their last 11road games and dropped to two games below .500 for the firsttime since April 14.
Santana brilliant as Twins top Athletics <h3>MINNESOTA 5, OAKLAND 3</h3>MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Since 2003, Johan Santana has dominatedafter the All-Star break. On Friday, he continued the trend. Santana hurled seven scoreless innings and Luis Castillo drovein two runs to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 5-3 victory overthe Oakland Athletics on Friday night. Joe Mauer and Jeff Cirillo each knocked in a run for the Twins(47-43), who improved to four games above .500. Minnesota hasnot been five games over the break-even mark since April 21. "Five games over isn't going to win the division or take us tothe playoffs," Twins first baseman Justin Morneau said. "Weneed to win 94, 95, 96 games to make the playoffs, that's howit's going to be. It's a point we have to get past, but it'sstill not going to be good enough. We need to keep winningseries and playing well." With the win, Santana (11-6) improved to an astonishing 41-4after the All-Star Game since 2003. In this one, he allowedjust four hits while striking out eight and walking one. "I don't try to do anything different," Santana said. "I feelmuch better now, my mechanics, all my pitches are coming outmuch better. It takes a little time to feel comfortable, but Ifeel comfortable right now." Santana started the game strong, striking out four of the firstfive batters he faced. His only 1-2-3 innings were the fifthand seventh, but he did not allow any of the five baserunners toreach second. The two-time American League Cy Young Award winner has earnedthe win in each of his last five starts, posting a 1.03 ERAduring that stretch. "I've felt pretty good before these five games," Santana said."I was just unlucky. We weren't scoring any runs. But I nevergive up." "Johan's been doing that for a long time, and he did it again,"Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. Santana needed just seven pitches to get through the seventhinning, giving him 91 for the game. But after conferring withpitching coach Rick Anderson, he agreed it was in his bestinterest to come out rather than try for the shutout followinghis inning of work in Tuesday's All-Star Game. But when asked if he considered using Santana in the eighth,Gardenhire got uncharacteristically upset and, after a brieflecture, kicked the gathered media out of his office. "He threw in the All-Star Game," Gardenhire said. "I'm tired ofhearing that (stuff). He's not going to get a shutout, he'snot going to go nine innings there. He's already got 90-pluspitches, he pitched a couple days ago. That's all people wantto talk about, is leaving him out there. We're talking aboutprotecting a young man's arm. "He's the best pitcher in the game, that's what we're going todo. I'm tired of it. The pitching coach went down there andtalked to him, and they decided it was the best thing to do.That's what we do around here. We take care of our pitchers.That's why they last. That's what we're going to do withJohan." Although he did not need it, Santana got plenty of help from theTwins' offense. After loading the bases but failing to score in the firstinning, Minnesota got to Oakland starter Lenny DiNardo in thethird. Castillo, who finished the contest with three hits and two RBI,doubled to lead off the frame and Jason Bartlett singled to putrunners on the corners. Mauer followed with a groundout toscore the game's first run. In the fourth, Castillo again was involved, hitting a two-outsingle to score a pair of runs. After Torii Hunter singled tostart the frame, Nick Punto hit a two-out grounder between thirdbaseman Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby that the shortstopbackhanded but threw wildly, putting runners on second andthird. Castillo then safely dropped a 2-2 pitch into shallow rightfield, just past the outstretched glove of second baseman MarkEllis. "They did a good job of making me work," DiNardo said. "Theyfouled a lot of pitches off." DiNardo (3-6) lost for the fourth time in five decisions,allowing three runs - two earned - and eight hits in fiveinnings. But he stood little chance against Santana. Bobby Kielty had a pair of singles and Dan Johnson reached basetwice, but Jack Cust was the only other Oakland hitter to reachagainst Santana. Former Twin Shannon Stewart went 0-for-5,ending his 15-game hitting streak. "Santana was tremendous," Oakland manager Bob Geren said."(But) we had a chance to win. I liked that we fought until theend." The Twins added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth inning offreliever Kiko Calero, as Cirillo tripled home Jason Kubel andscored on a sacrifice fly by Punto. Minnesota reliever Pat Neshek worked around a single and anerror in the eighth inning and Joe Nathan tossed the ninth tonotch his 17th save in 19 chances. Bartlett and Michael Cuddyer each had two hits for the Twins. Chavez blasted a two-run homer for the Athletics (44-46), wholost their fifth straight contest, fell to 3-8 in their last 11road games and dropped to two games below .500 for the firsttime since April 14.
