MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Byron Buxton hit his ninth home run of the season and Jose Miranda connected for the first homer of his career, backing another sharp start by rookie Josh Winder and sending the Minnesota Twins over the Oakland Athletics 2-1 Friday night.
Twins reliever Emilio Pagán escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth inning and sent the A’s to their seventh straight loss.
Making just his second major league start, Winder (2-0) allowed three hits and one unearned run in six innings while striking out eight and walking none. Last weekend at Tampa Bay, the 25-year-old righty got the win, pitching six shutout innings of two-hit ball, striking out seven with one walk.
“Super, super impressive tonight,” Twins bench coach Jayce Tingler said of Winder. “We’re a month into the season and we’ve had some really good pitching outings. The one Winder threw tonight may have been the best, and I mean that with all due respect to some of the good games that have been thrown. He was in command of all his pitches.”
Tingler is filling in as manager for Rocco Baldelli, who is out with COVID-19.
The AL Central-leading Twins returned home with a win after back-to-back losses in Baltimore and got good news on shortstop Carlos Correa before the game when a CT scan showed he doesn’t have a fractured finger after being hit in the hand by a pitch.
Top Twins prospect Royce Lewis was called up from Triple-A and filled in for Correa. Making his big league debut, he singled in the eighth for his first hit.
“We’ve got a great group right now and we have a great group coming up,” Winder said. “So, I think the Twins are in a really good spot, that we’re able to call up a first-overall pick when our $35 million guy goes down.”
The Athletics loaded the bases with one out in the ninth….
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