MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Ramón Laureano hit the first of Oakland’s four homers and Frankie Montas pitched six effective innings, helping the Athletics beat the sliding Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Friday night.
Sean Murphy and Stephen Piscotty each hit a two-run shot, and Mark Canha contributed a pinch-hit homer. The Athletics have won five of seven.
Montas (5-2) allowed one run and four hits in his third straight win. He is 3-0 with a 3.11 ERA in three May starts after posting a 6.20 ERA in five starts in April.
Part of the rough April was a four-inning, six-run outing against Minnesota.
Matt Shoemaker (2-4) allowed three of the home runs for the Twins. He surrendered five runs in six innings.
“That’s what makes it so frustrating,” Shoemaker said. “I feel like I threw the ball, overall, really well. Just a few of the mistakes really did damage.”
Josh Donaldson homered for Minnesota, which has lost five games in a row.
Laureano connected for his eighth homer of the season, a two-out solo drive in the third. Murphy added his fifth homer in the fifth, and Piscotty followed an inning later with his fourth.
Walks preceded the homers for Murphy and Piscotty.
“You walk a guy, give up a homer,” Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli said. “When things are really not going your way, that’s what happens.”
Montas kept the Twins off the board until Donaldson’s leadoff homer in the sixth.
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