OAKLAND, Calif. _ The Twins' West Coast trip just keeps getting worse.
Yonder Alonzo destroyed a Tyler Duffey pitch in the 12th inning on Sunday as the Athletics came back from five runs down for a 6-5 walk-off win. Oakland, in last place in the AL West division, took two of three games from the Twins in the series.
Duffey had just pitched a scoreless 11th and struck out Khris Davis to begin the 12 when Alonzo attacked Duffey's opening pitch, sending it out to right field. Fans went to the exits with smiles on the faces while the seagulls that had been circling the field for 30 minutes could finally feast on concession remnants.
The Twins entered their fourth extra inning game of the season after blowing a two-run lead in the eighth. The road trip has been one big meltdown, as the Twins have scored just two runs following the fifth inning. On Sunday, they ran out to a 5-0 only to have the Athletics slowly get back in the game.
Oakland had the leadoff hitter reach base in both the ninth and tenth innings against rookie Trevor Hildenberger. But the sidearmer bowed his back each time to get through the innings.
Where was the offense? The Twins managed just one hit over the eighth and 12th innings. In fact, the most contact they made during that time came when Miguel Sano slammed his bat on the ground after taking a questionable strike three call by home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi. Sano was ejected for the second time this season.
The Twins took the field Sunday after learning that left-hander Jaime Garcia was dealt to the Yankees for prospects, a move that signals the front office shift from being buys to sellers. Instead of being rankled about how the front office feels about them, they went out and grabbed an early lead against the A's.
Second baseman Brian Dozier, who expressed his dissatisfaction with the Garcia trade before the game, belted a 1-0 pitch from Jharel Cotton off the facade of the first deck just behind the left-center field wall. It was his 17th homer of the season and 23rd leadoff homer of his career.
Before the inning was over, Eduardo Escobar added a two-run homer to make it 3-0.
Joe Mauer hit a sacrifice fly in the third and Robbie Grossman coaxed a bases loaded walk in the fourth as the Twins took a 5-0 lead.
Would five runs be enough? The Twins have lead during every game of their current road trip, but headed for the late innings with just one win.
And Oakland started inching back in the game.
The A's scored twice in the fourth, then Jaycob Brugman homered to right field in the fifth to make it 5-3. Twins right-hander Bartolo Colon lasted 6 1/3 innings before exiting with two runners on. Matt Belisle came on to strike out Marcus Semien and get Jed Lowrie to fly out to end the inning.
Twins manager Paul Molitor when went with left-hander Taylor Rogers, who gave up a walk-off home run on Saturday. After getting the first two outs of the inning, he walked Ryon Healy, gave up a pinch hit single to Davis then a game-tying, two-run double to Matt Chapman.
Here we go again.
Molitor then turned to Trevor Hildenberger to start the ninth, and he promptly gave up a leadoff double to Matt Joyce. But the sidearming rookie recovered to strike out Marcus Semien, get Jed Lowrie to fly out to center and then strike out Khris Davis looking to end the inning.
