Davis' 2-out, 2-run single in 9th lifts A's over Twins 5-4

MINNEAPOLIS -- Khris Davis had been a fixture in the cleanup spot for most of the past four seasons, putting together three straight 40-homer, 100-RBI seasons. He hadn't been living up to his usual standards in 2019 and he was slotted into the sixth spot in the batting order the past four games.

Oakland's designated hitter was in the right spot at the right time on Saturday.

Davis lined a two-out, two-run single off the glove of diving first baseman Ehire Adrianza in the ninth inning and the Athletics won again, beating the Minnesota Twins 5-4.

"I think most of all, it was big for Khris because he's come up big in those situations for us and if anybody needed a little bit of a spark, that would be Khris," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. "That was a huge hit."

The A's won for the 21st time in 27 games.

Miguel Sano, Mitch Garver and Nelson Cruz all homered for the AL Central-leading Twins, who have lost five of six.

"Nothing different; It's as plain as that, I guess," Minnesota reliever Taylor Rogers said. "No reason to change anything. The team showed good fight coming back. The team is not going to quit on us. No need to change anything."

Rogers (2-2) retired the first two batters in the ninth but then hit Mark Canha with a pitch and gave up a double to Ramon Laureano.

Davis followed by going the other way against the shift, and Adrianza made a dive into the hole and tried to backhand the ball, but it deflected off his mitt and rolled into shallow right field.

"I hit it and I was like, `Good hit," Davis said. "Got lucky it nicked off his glove and great baserunning by Ramon ... I like the way it turned out."

The Twins loaded the bases against All-Star closer Liam Hendriks with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Hendriks got Garver to ground into a double play to end the game for his eighth save.

Blake Treinen (3-3) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by getting Marwin Gonzalez to ground out.

Laureano had three hits for the A's, who had taken a 3-2 lead in the seventh before the Twins rallied. Canha had a two-run homer and Laureano added a solo homer in the inning.

Laureano is hitting .469 with 20 runs, seven doubles, seven home runs and 13 RBI in 14 July games.

"Ramon's just on a tear right now," Davis said. "Hitting behind him is pretty fun."

SANO'S PROGRESS

Sano's 14th home run of the season tied the game to lead off the seventh inning. With usual cleanup hitter Eddie Rosario out of the lineup, Sano took his spot and reached base three times.

The Twins have tried to rework the swing of their big, slugging third baseman midseason after he slipped to a .195 average in late June. They've been pleased with the work, and Sano has hit .346 with a .460 on-base percentage, five home runs and 11 RBI in his last 17 games.

"I'm still working every day with my coaches," Sano said. "I do the best I can every day to get myself ready for the game. Day by day I never stop. Never quit. Still working."

RELIEVER MOVES

The Twins parted ways with a pair of relievers they recently designated for assignment. Right-hander Mike Morin was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations and left-hander Adalberto Mejia was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels.

Minnesota's 40-man roster stands at 36 players with the team expected to be active before the trade deadline on July 31.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Athletics: LHP Brett Anderson left the game after giving up Sano's homer in the seventh. Anderson said he has an issue with the fingernail on his left middle finger. ... 3B Matt Chapman was back in the lineup after not starting the past two games with left ankle soreness. Chapman fouled a ball off his left shin in the third inning but stayed in the game.

Twins: Rosario was out of the lineup as he works his way back from missing time with an ankle sprain. Manager Rocco Baldelli also said Rosario was dealing with a stomach illness the night before. ... 2B Jonathan Schoop returned after missing three games with an abdominal strain.

UP NEXT

The finale of the four-game series has Minnesota RHP Michael Pineda (6-5, 4.38 ERA) starting against Oakland RHP Daniel Mengden (5-1, 4.21). Pineda has allowed one run in five of his past six starts. Mengden allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings in a win against the Twins on July 2.

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