Oakland Athletics vs Minnesota Twins Box Score on Aug 26, 2018

Matt Chapman hit two home runs and scored three times, and Jed Lowrie homered, doubled and drove in three runs to lead the Oakland A's to a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday afternoon at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Stephen Piscotty also homered and joined Chapman and Lowrie with three hits. Oakland hit 10 home runs in the series while winning three of the four games.

The A's, who remain 1 1/2 games behind first-place Houston in the American League West, begin a three-game showdown series with the Astros on Monday night at Minute Maid Park.

Ryan Butcher (3-0), who pitched a hitless seventh inning, was awarded the win over Shawn Kelley, who relieved starter Chris Bassitt with two outs and two on in the fifth and got out of a jam when Miguel Sano lined out.

Tyler Austin hit two home runs, and Jorge Polanco also had two hits for Minnesota. Jose Berrios (11-9) picked up the loss, giving up three runs on eight hits in five innings while striking out four.

Chapman gave Oakland a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he lined his 19th homer of the season down the left field line.

The Twins tied it in the fourth on Austin's first home run, a long blast to center into the restaurant above the batters' eye.

Lowrie put Oakland back in front in the fifth with his 33rd double of the season off the fence in right, driving in Nick Martini and Chapman, who had both singled. Lowrie nearly had a triple but was thrown out in a bang-bang play by Jake Cave, a play Oakland unsuccessfully challenged.

Piscotty made it 4-1 in the sixth when he belted his 18th home run into the bleachers in right off reliever Matt Magill.

Austin cut it to 4-2 in the sixth with his second homer of the game and 14th of the season down the right field line off reliever Yusmeiro Petit. However, Chapman and Lowrie answered with back-to-back homers opening the seventh off Magill to increase the Athletics' lead to 6-2. It was a career-best 21st homer for Lowrie, who also has driven in 82 runs.

--Field Level Media