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Home | Sports | Twins

Twins meltdown ends with an out at home

Ben Margot, Associated Press - Ap

Minnesota Twins' Michael Cuddyer (5) is tagged out by Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Wuertz in the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, July 20, 2009, in Oakland, Calif.

The Twins built a 10-run lead through four home runs, then saw their lead disappear when the A's responded with some dramatic power of their own. The final out of the game? At home plate, of course.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: July 21, 2009 - 12:19 PM

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OAKLAND 14, TWINS 13 SEE RESULTS AT STARTRIBUNE.COM/TWINS

Up next: at Oakland • 9:05 tonight • Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum • TV: FSN (1500-AM)

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OAKLAND, CALIF. — Justin Morneau had a career night. Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer added some power.

It looked like it was going to be an easy night for the Twins. After all, Oakland is one of the worst offensive teams in baseball.

Somehow, they became the swinging A's again. battering starter Nick Blackburn, hammering at the Twins' reliable bullpen. The Athletics rallied from a 10-run deficit to bite the Twins 14-13.

"We didn't pitch good enough tonight," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "... We put ourselves in a bad situation."

The ending of the game was the final punch to the stomach.

With two outs and nobody on in the ninth inning, Cuddyer doubled off Michael Wuertz. After an intentional walk to Kubel, Wuertz threw a pitch that went to the backstop with Delmon Young at the plate. Cuddyer ran around third base and came home on the wild pitch. A's catcher Kurt Suzuki threw back to a covering Wuertz, and Cuddyer was called out by plate umpire Mike Muchlinski -- even though it appeared Cuddyer's foot touched the plate before Wuertz's tag.

"Definitely, Cuddy was safe," Gardenhire said. "We knew that. ... But it's hard enough to point the finger and say, 'He blew it,' because we blew enough of it ourselves."

In a postgame radio interview, Wuertz said: "It's one of those replays where you're glad it's not football."

Oakland fell behind 12-2 through 2 1/2 innings behind four Twins home runs, including two by Justin Morneau. But the A's pulled within 12-7 by the fourth, then scored seven in the seventh, getting a tying grand slam by Matt Holliday off Bobby Keppel and then going ahead when Jack Cust hit a homer on the first pitch thrown by Jose Mijares.

The 10-run lead tied the largest blown lead in Twins history.

Morneau hit the sixth grand slam of his career in the second and a three-run blast in the third inning. He was one RBI away from the Twins' single-game RBI record set by Glenn Adams on June 26, 1977 against the White Sox and matched by Randy Bush on May 20, 1989 against Texas.

Kubel and Cuddyer also homered -- Kubel's was three-run shot in the first inning -- as Twins hitters had their way with A's lefthander Gio Gonzalez, a rookie with talent but who, on Monday, had a problem with throwing belt-high fastballs in hitters counts.

Gonzalez was sent to the showers after giving up 11 runs on 10 hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. While the Twins are 15-18 against lefthanded starters, they entered Monday 2-12 against them on the road. But the two victories came against the A's.

However, there was immediate concern.

Blackburn gave up two runs in the first, escaped a jam in the second and then gave up a three-run homer to Daric Barton in the third and a two-run shot to Holliday in the fourth.

The Twins still led 13-7 with Brian Duensing on in the seventh, but the A's loaded the bases with nobody out. Keppel relieved, but Orlando Cabrera got a two-run double in the seventh that bounced past the diving Cuddyer to make it 13-9.

After Scott Hairston walked, Holliday followed with his grand slam, and Mijares came in for Keppel. But the lefthanded-hitting Cust greeted his first pitch by launching it to center for the go-ahead run.

The Twins' lineup didn't include catcher Joe Mauer, who initially was given the day off after going 1-for-22 in his previous five games and catching all 12 innings of Sunday's loss to the Rangers. He entered the game as a pinch hitter for Alexi Casilla in the eighth inning, singled to left-center and remained in the game to catch.

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