OAKLAND
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Calif. (AP) ¡ª Oakland will have to take its bubbly on the road.Kyle Gibson
allowed one run over 7 1/3 innings, Jake Cave hit a two-run homer and the
Minnesota Twins beat the Athletics 5-1 Sunday, preventing Oakland from clinching
an AL wild-card berth in its last regular-season home game.¡°I think it was a
little disappointing,¡± A¡¯s manager Bob Melvin said. ¡°A lot of times we put on
our best shows late in games, unfortunately it didn¡¯t happen today.¡±Oakland
leads Tampa Bay by 7½ games and needs one win or a Rays loss to clinch its first
playoff berth in four years. The A¡¯s remained 1½ games behind the New York
Yankees, who have clinched a wild-card berth, and fell 4½ games back of AL
West-leading Houston.After going 50-31 for its best home record since 2013, the
A¡¯s finish with three-game series at Seattle and the Los Angeles Angels. Oakland
is 60-26 since mid-June.¡°It would have been nice to clinch, but we weren¡¯t
changing anything up or anything like that,¡± A¡¯s first baseman Matt Olson
said.Gibson (9-13) gave up seven hits and three walks. Trevor May struck out
Ramon Laureano with two on in the eighth and pitched around a one-out walk in
the ninth for his first big league save.Minnesota finished 29-52 on the
road.Oakland won two of three despite going 0 for 21 with runners in scoring
position in the series, including seven at-bats Sunday.Trevor Cahill (6-4)
allowed five runs ¡ª three earned ¡ª and five hits in 3 1/3 innings.Cave hit a
two-run homer in the first, but Olson cut the lead in half in the second with
his 28th homer.Minnesota added three runs in the fourth after Robbie Grossman
singled with one out and Tyler Austin hit a potential double-play grounder to
third baseman Matt Chapman, who threw the ball to the left of second baseman
Chad Pinder and into right field for his 19th error.¡°I was worried about the
catch and I didn¡¯t pick up my target,¡± Chapman said. ¡°I think I had a little
more time, I might have rushed my throw because I wanted to turn the double
play. It was my fault that three runs scored so it doesn¡¯t really feel good.¡±Max
Kepler hit an RBI single, Ehire Adrianza chased Cahill with a run-scoring double
and Chris Gimenez greeted Shawn Kelley with a sacrifice fly.¡°For the last couple
of years we¡¯ve seen people celebrate when we¡¯re in town,¡± Gibson said. ¡°To be
able to finish off the season and not have to watch anybody
celebrate
Jason
Kipnis Jersey , kind of nice.¡±FAN BASEA crowd of 35,754 raised Oakland¡¯s
season total at home to 1,527,588.FRANCHISE MARKJoe Mauer was 2 for 4. His
fifth-inning single was his 3,072nd time reaching base, tying Harmon Killebrew¡¯s
franchise record. Twins manager Paul Molitor said he¡¯s been communicating
regularly with Mauer about his role in this week¡¯s six-game homestand. Mauer is
contemplating retirement.¡°We haven¡¯t finalized how many games he will play
throughout the course of the week, and which game of this particular campaign
will be his last one,¡± Molitor said.TRAINER¡¯S ROOMTwins: C Mitch Garver
(concussion) played catch on the field, but Molitor said it has not been
determined whether he will play again this year. Garver has been out since he
took a foul tip to his mask on Sept. 12. ¡ Molitor expects to make decisions on
the playing status of 3B Miguel Sano (lower left leg bruise) and 2B Logan
Forsythe (left knee inflammation) on Tuesday.UP NEXTTwins: Minnesota has not
announced a starting pitcher for Monday¡¯s series opener against
Detroit.Athletics: RHP Daniel Mengden (7-6, 4.00 ERA) will make his first start
since June 23 in Monday¡¯s series opener in Seattle. Mengden is 1-0 with 1.83 ERA
in five relief appearances since being called up from Triple-A Nashville on Aug.
27. GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) ¡ª The Cleveland Indians are heading into the 2019
season missing some big bats from last year¡¯s lineup. They hope Jake Bauers
brought one from Tampa.Bauers, who came over in a December trade with the Rays,
is being counted on to help fill the power void left with the departures of
sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso in trades and the Indians¡¯ decision
not to re-sign All-Star Michael Brantley as a free agent.As the three-time
defending AL Central champions contend with unusually chilly and wet weather
that has dumped an inch of rain on this arid area the past two days ¡ª
significant for a region that typically only gets about eight inches a year ¡ª
the 23-year-old Bauers has been getting in work to make sure he sprays the ball
around this season.¡°I¡¯m trying to use the whole field again, trying to stay left
center-center field and open everything up as opposed to just kind of pulling
the ball too much,¡± said Bauers, who batted .201 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs
in 96 games after being brought up by the Rays last season.This year, Bauers is
optimistic he can make an impact in all facets of the game.¡°Getting on
base
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maybe taking the extra base when I can, driving in runs, basically just doing
whatever the situation calls for,¡± the easygoing Bauers said while sipping
coffee in the clubhouse on Friday. ¡°I think that¡¯s what I was taught at a young
age and it¡¯s something I¡¯m fairly good at.¡±Bauers can play first base and he¡¯ll
be one of several candidates to get a shot in a crowded outfield, a topic he
discussed in a recent meeting with Indians manager Terry Francona.¡°We talked a
lot about playing first base or left field and what the mix is going to be
like,¡± said Bauers, who spends down time during camp hiking with his 9-month-old
Golden Retriever-Cocker Spaniel mix, Praxton. ¡°They just have some things to
figure out. I¡¯m sure as we get deeper into the spring, we¡¯ll sort that all
out.¡±Bauers has displayed versatility, so what¡¯s his biggest strength?With
eyebrows raised, the self-proclaimed bad surfer from Huntington Beach,
California, took in the question along with a deep breath.¡°Knowing how to win,¡±
he said after a short pause. ¡°I think that¡¯s an underrated thing in today¡¯s
game. I think the things you can¡¯t put on paper aren¡¯t valued as much as they
could be.¡±Bauers could also help the Indians in another vital area. The loss of
Brantley, starter Josh Tomlin, All-Star catcher Yan Gomes and closer Cody Allen
has created a vacuum in the clubhouse and dugout.¡°We¡¯ve lost some guys that had
terrific leadership qualities,¡± Francona said. ¡°Guys like
Tomlin
Larry
Doby Jersey , Brantley, there¡¯s no getting around that. We don¡¯t need to
anoint leaders. The best way to lead is by example.¡±If Bauers can produce
offensively the way he did for the Rays after his call-up last June, he¡¯ll be
leading in no time.Bauers batted .252 with five home runs in his first 36 games
last season before the All-Star break. His numbers dipped toward the end of
2018, but the potential is evident.He¡¯s eager to show his new teammates what he
can do, and anxious to start at first when the Indians open their Cactus League
season on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.¡°I think I got those excited
butterflies when I think about it,¡± said Bauers, who will bat second.NOTES:
Bench coach Brad Mills pulled a fast one on Francona. With the help of general
manager Mike Chernoff, Mills orchestrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the USS
Tito, a makeshift wooden boat that was constructed outside the Indians¡¯ complex.
The Under Secretary of the U.S. Navy, Thomas Modly, was flown in for the event
and took pictures with Francona, who was given his own captain¡¯s hat. Asked for
remarks upon receiving his ship, Francona chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m humiliated.¡± ¡ Adam
Plutko will start Cleveland¡¯s opener against Cincinnati. For the Reds, Tanner
Roark fills in for Sonny Gray, who was scratched with elbow stiffness