OAKLAND 6, MINNESOTA 4 IN MINNESOTA

Date:  Thursday, April 24.

Batting stars:  Rod Carew was 3-for-5.  Leo Cardenas was 2-for-4 with a double.  Graig Nettles was 2-for-4.  Charlie Manuel was 2-for-4.  Tony Oliva was 1-for-5 with a two-run homer, his fourth.

Pitching stars:  Charley Walters pitched a perfect inning, striking out one.  Bob Miller struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk.  Jim Perry pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Rick Monday was 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBIs.  Reggie Jackson was 2-for-2 with two home runs (his third and fourth) and three RBIs.  Danny Cater was 2-for-4.  Sal Bando was 1-for-4 with a home run, his third.

The game:  Oakland jumped on Twins starter Dave Boswell for three runs in the first inning.  Jackson hit a two-run homer and Bando made it back-to-back with a solo shot.  The Twins put two on with two out in the bottom of the first, but Nettles grounded out to end the inning.  The Twins again threatened in the second, putting men on second and third with none out, but Johnny Roseboro fanned, Boswell popped up, and Ted Uhlaender struck out.

Oakland scored two more in the third.  Jackson hit his second home run, followed by a Cater single.  He then scored from first on Monday's double to make it 5-0.  Monday had another RBI double in the fifth to increase the lead to 6-0.

The Twins finally got on the board in the fifth, when Carew's two-out single was followed by an Oliva home run.  The Twins opened the sixth with consecutive singles by Nettles, Manuel, and Cardenas to cut the lead to 6-3, but Paul Lindblad came in to replace Blue Moon Odom and retired the side on a fly out and a double play.

The Twins opened the seventh with singles by Uhlaender and Carew.  With Oliva and Killebrew coming up, it looked like they would get back into the game, but Oliva lined to left and Killebrew was caught looking.  Nettles delivered a single to make the score 6-4, but that was as good as it would get.  The Twins did not get another hit the rest of the game.

WP:  Odom (3-1).  LP:  Boswell (1-2).  S:  Lew Krausse (2).

Notes:  Carew took over the team batting lead, raising his average to .377.  Oliva fell to .365.  Cardenas went up to .321.  Uhlaender went 1-for-5 and dropped to .316.  Killebrew was 1-for-4 with a walk and was batting .308.

Nettles started at third base for only the second time of the season.  Killebrew was at first.  Manuel made only his second start of the season, playing left field.  It was his rookie season.

Twins starting pitching was definitely running hot-and-cold.  In this game, Boswell lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits and no walks.  He struck out one.

Ron Perranoski made another appearance, although this time it was just for one batter.  He came in with two on and two out in the eighth, with the Twins trailing 6-4, and got Jim Pagliaroni to ground out, ending the inning.  He had appeared in nine of the Twins' fourteen games and had still not allowed an earned run.

Jackson hit two home runs, but apparently was still bothered by something, as he came out of the game after four innings.  Mike Hershberger again replaced him in right.

Odom pitched five innings, giving up three runs on nine hits and one walk with six strikeouts.  The Twins stranded nine runners and went 2-for-11 with men in scoring position.

Record:  The Twins were 8-6, tied for first place with the White Sox and Kansas City.