In his past seven starts since being recalled from Rochester, Milone had gone 3-0 with a 1.84 earned-run average in 44 innings.
Gray’s start wasn’t exactly what he expected after coming off his first All-Star selection.
Oakland’s Josh Reddick added a grand slam in the fifth inning with J.R. Graham pitching.
For the A’s Kazmir looked the part of All-Star as he went 8 1/3 innings before giving up what would be a game tying run on an RBI by double Joe Mauer. The offense couldn’t figure out A’s starter Jesse Chavez.
Twins starter Tommy Milone struggled against his former team in his first appearance in Oakland since the trade last season. His next start is against Saturday against the Yankees, a team that is hitting.
Billy Butler and Josh Phegley hit two-run homers for the A’s, who cleared the fences a season-high five times to boost their 2015 total to 80.
Milone’s afternoon was done – he had been 3-0 in five day starts this year – when Brett Lawrie followed Smolinski’s full-count homer with a single.
“It was a matter of getting out of the third and it just didn’t happen”, Milone said.
Phegley hit a two-run shot with two outs in the second to start the barrage. The two-homer game for Smolinski was a first for the outfielder in his Major League career.
“Just one pitch away, it seemed like, on every hitter”, Milone said.
“We opened the door with a misplay and then they hit the home run”, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “And their first seven runs all came with two outs so those are tough”.
Another sign of the Twins’ resilience this year has been their 5-2 mark following losses of six or more runs since the season’s first week. “Regardless, I have to continue making adjustments”. Four straight hits followed, including back-to-back homers by Billy Butler and Jake Smolinski.
The A’s designated hitter has found his stroke at the plate recently, homering four times over his last 15 games after just two long balls over his previous 56 games.
Milone got the first two outs of the third, then plunked Mark Canha with a pitch.
“A lot of these guys do have the power to be productive”, A’s manager Bob Melvin said. Chavez would finish the game with nine strikeouts in six innings, allowing no runs on three hits and one walk. “You see the potential, it’s just not as consistent as we’d like to this point”.
Shane Robinson had the lone Twins’ RBI, a triple in the ninth, bringing Trevor Plouffe home.
Twins: DH Miguel Sano sat out with a sprained right ankle he played through Saturday night.
“It wasn’t his best day and it’s not to hard to say that”, Molitor said. A’s RHP/LHP Pat Venditte (strained right shoulder) will throw batting practice in Stockton for the Class A Ports on Monday.
