Athletics snap Minnesota’s 5-game winning streak with 3-1 victory at Target Field

Brett Anderson, Jack Cust lead A’s past Twins 3-1

MINNEAPOLIS — Jack Cust had a solo homer and a double, and the light-hitting Oakland Athletics gave Brett Anderson just enough run support in a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

Anderson (6-6) gave up four hits and struck out five before Craig Breslow got pinch-hitter Joe Mauer to pop out with the bases loaded to end the seventh inning. Andrew Bailey earned his 25th save in 28 tries.

Nick Blackburn (9-10) had another encouraging start for the Twins, who were coming off a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox that put them nine games up in the AL Central. Blackburn gave up three runs and eight hits in seven innings.

But he didn’t get much help from a watered-down Twins lineup. Danny Valencia had two hits, including a solo homer, but the rest of the team managed just three more in the series opener.

Center fielder and leadoff man Denard Span was scratched because of a sore right shoulder, right fielder Jason Kubel rested his sore wrist and Mauer was rested after catching all three games in the White Sox series.

Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire gave Ben Revere his first career start in center field, and the speedy rookie grounded out to the pitcher in three of his four at-bats. All three replacements combined to go 1 for 8 with a walk, but Jason Repko’s infield single loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh.

Gardenhire brought in Mauer to pinch-hit and 40,681 fans came to their feet. But after just missing the first pitch, which caught a little more of the plate than the lefty Breslow probably would have liked, Mauer popped out to shallow left field to end the seventh.

Pitching hasn’t been an issue for the Athletics this season. They entered the game with a 3.56 ERA from their starters, the lowest total for an American League rotation this late in the season since the Red Sox finished 2002 at 3.53.

Anderson, who has been on the disabled list twice this year with elbow problems, has given up five combined earned runs in his last four starts.

It’s the offense that has been the problem.

Oakland didn’t have a batter in the lineup hitting better than .278 on Friday night. The A’s entered the night with the second-fewest extra-base hits, second-lowest slugging percentage (.372) and the fourth-fewest runs scored in the American League.

Five of Anderson’s six losses this season came with one or fewer runs of support. But the A’s had four extra-base hits and also got runs on a sacrifice fly by Rajai Davis in the second inning and an RBI single by Mark Ellis in the fifth.

NOTES: Oakland rookie Chris Carter went 0 for 3 and fell to 0 for 27 to start his career, breaking Bill McNulty’s franchise record. McNulty started his career 0 for 25 in 1972. … Gardenhire said RHP Scott Baker will throw another bullpen session Saturday to test the tendinitis in his right elbow that has bothered him recently. Gardenhire said Baker could be used in a spot start or two down the stretch to give the rest of the staff an extra day of rest before the playoffs.