Athletics Can’t Slow Cuddyer

Minnesota Manager Ron Gardenhire isn’t one for team meetings or speeches at this stage. He will send his players out for the last 11 days of this disappointing season and just observe who’s still giving their all.

And, the skipper hopes, maybe the Twins will shake up the playoff picture in the process.

Michael Cuddyer homered, hit three doubles and drove in four runs, and the Twins beat the Oakland Athletics, 10-4, Wednesday to end a three-game skid.

“This was a good win for us,” said Gardenhire, whose club is already eliminated from postseason contention after winning the AL Central the last three years. “To come out and score some runs and get a lead, we haven’t done that very often. It was fun. The guys got to run the bases.”

Cuddyer finished with a career-high four hits and homered against Oakland for the fifth time this season.

“Cuddyer killed us all year. He was pretty much a one-man wrecking crew,” A’s Manager Ken Macha said.

Scott Baker (2-2) pitched five effective innings to win for the first time in five starts. He retired 12 of the first 14 batters he faced, giving up a one-out single to Jay Payton in the second and a leadoff single by Dan Johnson in the third.

Bobby Crosby returned to Oakland’s lineup after sitting out Tuesday to rest his left ankle. He singled and scored in Oakland’s three-run fifth.