After Carlos Correa recorded the first five-hit game of his career, his encore included wearing a purple Prince Night track jacket in the dugout, a purple fedora and strumming a purple balloon guitar.
Correa was center stage Thursday with three more hits, including a two-run homer to the second deck in left field in the Twins’ 6-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics at Target Field. In the last five games, Correa has 14 hits in 21 at-bats, raising his season’s batting average by 35 points to .299.
Joe Ryan didn’t need much run support as he continued to make his case for a spot on the All-Star team, permitting three hits and two runs in seven innings. Correa seemingly took it all upon himself.
Leading by two runs in the seventh inning, Royce Lewis lined a one-out single to left field. Two batters later, Correa hammered an off-speed pitch from lefthanded reliever Sean Newcomb. It was a no-doubter as Correa admired his work for a moment stepping out of the batter’s box. Pablo López immediately retrieved the Prince Night jacket, part of a giveaway Thursday, and waited for Correa at the top of the dugout.
The Twins wore a “Land of 10,000 Rakes” fishing vest after home runs last season, and this was a Purple Rain tribute. Kyle Farmer removed Correa’s helmet for the fedora, and he was handed the fake guitar as he walked through the dugout, a unique way to celebrate his sixth home run of the season.
Correa, who had the 59th five-hit game in club history Wednesday, lined a go-ahead RBI single in the third inning against Athletics starter Luis Medina. Trevor Larnach hit a single off the end of his bat down the third-base line, and Max Kepler drew a walk to set the stage for the hottest hitter on the team.
Correa has multiple hits in six of his last eight games.
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In the second inning, Kepler opened with a line-drive single and Correa followed with an infield single that barely rolled past the mound. Sometimes, it helps to be lucky and good. Two batters and one wild pitch that flung to the backstop later, Byron Buxton hit a two-run single up the middle.
For all the extreme ups and downs in this Twins season, they have remained consistent when they’re playing teams below them in the standings.
After the Twins won their series opener against the Oakland Athletics, they own a 36-18 record when they’re not playing the New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians or Baltimore Orioles, the top three teams in the American League. They’re 0-14 against those three teams.
The A’s had a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Joe Ryan issued a leadoff walk to Miguel Andujar, then he left a splitter over the heart of the plate that first baseman Tyler Soderstrom crushed over the center field wall for a two-run homer.
Ryan has yielded 13 homers this year, one fewer than López and three other pitchers for the most in the majors.
Oakland didn’t have another baserunner reach second base following Soderstrom’s homer. Ryan retired his final 10 batters and 18 of his last 20. Ryan reached 96.9 mph with his fastball, the fastest pitch of his career, when he struck out Abraham Toro for the game’s first out.
Ryan, who struck out five and walked one, lowered his ERA to 3.24. He’s pitched at least seven innings in three of his last four starts.