MINNESOTA 11, OAKLAND 2 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Saturday, September 5.

Batting stars:  Doug Mientkiewicz was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs.  David Ortiz was 2-for-3 with a double.  Torii Hunter was 2-for-4 with a double.

Pitching stars:  Eric Milton pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk and striking out three.  Kyle Lohse struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.

Opposition stars:  Jermaine Dye was 3-for-3 with a double.  Miguel Tejada was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer.  Scott Hatteberg was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.

The game:  Tejada hit a two-run homer in the third to open the scoring.  The Twins came back in the bottom of the third.  A. J. Pierzynski led off with a single and Jacque Jones hit a one-out double.  Cristian Guzman grounded out to bring home the first run and Ortiz doubled to tie it 2-2.  The Twins then took control in the fourth with some help from the Athletics.  With men on first and second with one out, Luis Rivas reached on an error to give the Twins a 3-2 lead.  A wild pitch made it 4-2.  A hit batsman and another error increased the lead to 5-2 and Corey Koskie's RBI single made it 6-2.  Another run-scoring wild pitch made the score 7-2, and RBI double by Hunter made it 8-2, and a Mientkiewicz single made the score 9-2 through four innings.  Oakland put two on with one out in the sixth but did not score.  Mientkiewicz hit a two-run homer in the seventh to round out the scoring.  The Athletics had only one hit after the sixth inning.

WP:  Milton.  LP:  Tim Hudson.  S:  None.

Notes:  Cuddyer was again the right fielder, going 0-for-3.

Milton gave the Twins their first well-pitched game of the post-season.

Five of the Twins runs were unearned.

Hudson lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing seven runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks and striking out four.  He threw ninety pitches.

Record:  The best-of-five series was tied 2-2.