Bats, arms finally in sync in win over Twins

OAKLAND -- Despite going through yet another lackluster night at the plate as a collective unit on Monday, A’s shortstop Elvis Andrus sensed that an offensive breakthrough was imminent. He supported this theory by pointing to the heavy amount of hard-hit balls over the past week that were being driven right at defenders.

On Tuesday, those hits finally began to fall, the A’s collected 11 hits and posted a 5-2 victory over the Twins at the Coliseum. In a bit of irony, the biggest hit of the game came from catcher Sean Murphy, who snapped an 0-for-19 hitless streak in the seventh inning with a two-run single to shallow left-center that was lofted 59.3 mph off the bat -- the third-softest hit of his career, according to Statcast.

“I think I saw Murph smile when he got to first base,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “These guys are grinding, and Murph is one of those guys that doesn’t ask for a day off. To get rewarded on a ball that left the bat at 59 mph is a big bonus. He got beat on a fastball and was strong enough to fist it into the outfield for a couple of RBIs.”

Justice was indeed served, making up for the previous unlucky-but-well-struck balls hit not just by Murphy, but by a good portion of the A’s lineup. Just before Murphy’s single in that three-run seventh, Seth Brown also crushed Oakland’s hardest hit of the night with an RBI double scorched with a 105.9 mph exit velocity.

The key hit released some of his recent frustration, feelings that were only exacerbated earlier in the game after his inning-ending strikeout in the third stranded Tony Kemp in scoring position. In celebration, Brown reached his right palm in the air and hit the “Nae Nae” upon reaching second base, a dance the A’s have adopted whenever someone hits a double or triple.

Brown’s double came on a changeup, a pitch Kotsay said he’d noticed the first baseman/outfielder had been doing a better job of identifying. Given the .163 batting average that Brown entered the day with, a two-hit night like the one he had on Tuesday was one the A’s hope is a sign of a turnaround in motion.

“In terms of Seth’s at-bats, he’s been swinging better,” Kotsay said. “He’s staying back on [the changeup] and hunting a ball up in the zone, which he got. He put a great swing on a baseball that ended up getting us a couple of runs there. We put the at-bats together tonight, like we talked about not being able to do [Monday] night.”

Sparking the offensive outburst was Kevin Smith, who provided A’s starter James Kaprielian a lead with his two-run blast to left field in the fourth. Like Murphy, Smith’s homer -- his second of the year and third of his career -- also snapped an tough 0-for-18 skid.

“We talked about Kevin Smith [Monday] night and how I thought his at-bats were better,” Kotsay said. “They continued tonight. The swing he put on that fastball up, he got the barrel above it and drove it out to left field. He’s making progress. These guys are working hard, and some of the fruits of their work are starting to show, which is a good sign.”

Overall, it was an offensive performance for the A’s that finally matched the superb work that has been turned in on a near-nightly basis by the pitchers, Tuesday’s contest included. After Kaprielian worked 5 1/3 innings and limited Minnesota to two runs on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts, the bullpen kept it scoreless the rest of the way.

Dany Jiménez continued his emergence as a lockdown closer, notching his seventh save of the year by retiring the Twins’ final five batters of the game in order on just 17 pitches. With his ERA shrinking down to 0.59 in 15 appearances, Jiménez’s 7 saves are tied for fifth in the American League, proving that if the offense can perform up to par, this pitching staff has no trouble finishing off its good work.

“I think there was just a frustration of smashing balls at people and watching them being caught over and over again,” Brown said. “But everybody has been in a pretty good mindset. Everybody is excited every day. The energy is still here. Tonight was just a really good example of what this lineup is capable of doing all the time.”