Herrmann hits slam in '19 debut, A's down Twins

Catcher Chris Herrmann hit a grand slam in his season debut, and teammates Matt Olson and Mark Canha also went deep Tuesday night, powering the Oakland Athletics to an 8-6 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series. Herrmann's second career grand slam came off All-Star right-hander Jake Odorizzi (10-4), who was pulled from the game immediately following the fourth-inning blast due to a blister on his right middle finger.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said postgame that Odorizzi would be placed on the injured list but likely would miss only one start. Aided by a two-run homer from Miguel Sano, his 13th of the season, the Twins took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fourth before Oakland seized the advantage for good.

An error by third baseman Sano, a Ramon Laureano walk and a Robbie Grossman single set the stage for Herrmann, who was signed as a free agent in December. He was playing in his first game for the A's. Herrmann, who spend the first four years of his career with the Twins, sustained a knee injury in spring training and hadn't played in the majors until Tuesday. He was reinstated from the 60-day injured list before the game.

Herrmann's only previous grand slam came as a rookie for the Twins in 2013 against the Los Angeles Angels. Jason Castro, a native of the Oakland suburb of Castro Valley, hit a pair of home runs for the Twins, the second of which closed the gap to 7-6 in the seventh inning. The homers were his ninth and 10th of the season. But Canha countered with his 12th homer, a solo shot, in the last of the seventh, giving the Oakland bullpen a two-run cushion. A's right-hander Daniel Mengden (3-1) got the win in his first career start against the Twins. He went 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs and eight hits. He struck out five and did not walk a batter.

Liam Hendriks, the fourth Oakland pitcher, recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth. Olson's homer, his 17th of the season, was a two-run shot in the third inning that allowed the A's to close within a run after the Twins had scored the game's first three runs, two on Sano's homer.

Odorizzi was charged with six runs (five earned) on four hits in three-plus innings. He walked three and struck out two. Grossman had two hits while Canha and Laureano scored twice apiece for the A's, who won their fourth straight. Castro, who also doubled, went 3-for-4, while Sano and Luis Arraez collected two hits each for the Twins, who lost for the fourth time in their past five games. The Twins out-hit the A's 10-8.

 

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