Twins show power

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- One day made all the difference for the Minnesota Twins.

A day after getting shut out on four hits at Seattle, the Twins had 18 hits -- five by Denny Hocking and four by Jacque Jones -- in a 10-5 win over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night.

''Eighteen hits, that's a lot of hits,'' said Jones, who had four singles and two RBIs. ''Only in baseball can you get four hits one day and 18 the next.''

Hocking went 5-for-6, including two doubles and a two-run homer, and the Twins snapped a five-game losing streak with their win over the error-plagued A's.

Needing a triple to hit for the cycle, Hocking drove a ball just foul down the left-field line in the ninth, then struck out. Hocking said he came to bat knowing he needed a triple.

''With all the stuff going on, I wasn't watching the ball, but I was watching the umpire to see if his hand was going to go up (to signal a foul ball),'' said Hocking, who raised his average from .235 to .276. ''I was pretty nervous. That was exciting.''

Hocking had three RBIs for the Twins, who squandered a 5-0 lead, then broke open the game with four runs in the seventh. Minnesota had 18 hits after getting just 16 while losing three games at Seattle this week.

''One game is not going to say we're out of the woods, but we did play pretty well,'' Twins manager Tom Kelly said. ''We'll see what happens tomorrow.''

Corey Koskie also had an RBI single for Minnesota. Matt Lawton and Butch Huskey had run-scoring groundouts, and the Twins scored three unearned runs as the A's made four errors while losing their third straight game.

''We have to shore up the defense. We just have to catch the ball better,'' A's manager Art Howe said. ''Generally speaking, when you make errors, you're going to lose. You give teams extra outs, and it's going to hurt you.''

Mark Redman (3-0), making his third start of the season after eight relief appearances, allowed only five runners -- and all five scored. He pitched six innings, giving up five runs and five hits.

Randy Velarde and Miguel Tejada hit two-run homers for the A's, and Terrence Long had an RBI double.

Luis Vizcaino (0-1), the second of four A's pitchers, was the loser. He allowed one run and three hits in two innings.

Minnesota scored three in the first and led 5-0 in the third inning. The A's tied the game with three in the third and Tejada's sixth homer of the season in the fourth.

Huskey broke the tie in the sixth, and Hocking hit his second homer of the season as the Twins made it 10-5 in the seventh. It was just the seventh win in 20 road games for Minnesota this season.

A's starter Kevin Appier, making his second start since missing three weeks with a strained right forearm, lasted just three innings. Appier, who made his 300th career appearance, allowed five runs on nine hits. Only two of the runs were earned.

''I wasn't good, but you have to credit the Twins. I messed up a little, but they hit a bunch of good pitches for hits. Before I knew it I was done,'' Appier said. ''They stockpiled a number of hits. It was a bummer night for us.''

MINNESOTA OAKLAND

ab r h bi ab r h bi

JJones lf 6 3 4 2 Long cf 4 1 1 1

Hcking ss 6 2 5 3 Velarde 2b 4 1 1 2

Lawton rf 5 0 1 1 JaGmb 1b 4 0 1 0

Coomer 1b 3 0 1 0 Saenz dh 4 1 2 0

DOrtiz dh 3 1 0 0 Grieve lf 4 0 0 0

Huskey dh 2 0 0 1 Tejada ss 3 1 1 2

Lecroy c 5 0 1 0 Stairs ph 1 0 0 0

Koskie 3b 5 1 2 1 JeGmb rf 4 1 1 0

THuntr cf 5 1 1 0 Chavez 3b 3 0 0 0

Cnizaro 2b 5 2 3 0 Fasano c 2 0 0 0

RJHdz c 1 0 0 0

Totals 45 10 18 8 Totals 34 5 7 5

Minnesota 311 001 400 -- 10

Oakland 003 200 000 -- 5

E--Long (3), JaGiambi (2), JeGiambi (1), Chavez (5). DP--Oakland 1. LOB--Minnesota 10, Oakland 2. 2B--Hocking 2 (9), Koskie (9), Long (6). HR--Hocking (2), Velarde (3), Tejada (6).

IP H R ER BB SO

Minnesota

Redman W,3-0 6 5 5 5 0 3

TEMiller 2 1-3 2 0 0 0 1

BWells 2-3 0 0 0 0 0

Oakland

Appier 3 9 5 2 1 2

LVizcaino L,0-1 2 3 1 1 0 1

Magnante 1 1-3 2 2 2 1 1

Rich Sauveur 2 2-3 4 2 2 0 1

LVizcaino pitched to 2 batters in the 6th.

Umpires--Home, Schrieber; First, Cuzzi; Second, Craft; Third, Lamplugh.

T--2:55. A--8,746 (43,012).