ESPN.com - MLB - Oakland vs. Minnesota

Download Toolbar | Shop

Clubhouse
Roster
Statistics
Playoff History

Clubhouse
Roster
Statistics
Playoff History

(AP Photo/ Ben Margot)

Jay Payton and the A's await either the Yankees or the Tigers.

The A's Have It

Eric Chavez calls it one of Oakland's least-talented playoff teams ever. But these A's are going to the ALCS, writes Jim Caple. Story

• Scutaro leads A's, 8-3 ...

| Keith Law: Radke's start helps A's

• Caple: Twins' defeat could be last for Radke, Hunter
• Inside Edge report cards: Dan Haren | Brad Radke

SCOUTING REPORTS

Keith Law on Eric Chavez
"Eric Chavez finally started to show signs of his old self after he returned from an ankle injury in early September, as he was able to use his legs to help him drive the ball, but a severe hamstring strain (put) that into doubt; without his power, he's a singles hitter who draws walks."
• Law's complete team reports: A's

| Twins

• Law's series preview: Twins are bad matchup for A's

Inside Edge
How good was Dan Haren's command and his overall effectiveness? How well was Brad Radke able to finish off hitters in what could be his final major-league appearance? Check out Inside Edge's postgame pitching reports from Game 3 of the AL Division Series.
• Game 3 report cards: Dan Haren | Brad Radke
• Full-roster reports: A's

| Twins

MORE FROM ESPN.com

Thursday, October 5
A's Ellis to miss rest of postseason with broken finger: Mark Ellis will miss the rest of the postseason after breaking his right index finger when he swung at a pitch and it hit his hand.
Wednesday, October 4
Caple: The one that got away from Torii Hunter: Gold Glove outfielder Torii Hunter proved even the best players can make embarrassing mistakes at the worst moments.
Law: Hunter made poor judgment call: Torii Hunter took an unnecessary risk on Mark Kotsay's line drive, and it cost the Twins the game.
The Sports Guy: MLB playoff diary: Bill Simmons kicks off the 2006 playoffs with a running diary of the A's-Twins game.
Tuesday, October 3
Caple: Thomas puts a Hurtin' on Twins: Frank Thomas continued his remarkable comeback season by powering the A's to a win in their Division Series opener.
Law: Sloppy Twins handed game to A's: While the A's deserve credit for beating Johan Santana, the Twins didn't play fundamentally sound baseball.
Kreidler: Modified Moneyball pays off for A's: They spent money on veterans. They stuck with their manager. Add it up and the A's are playoff-bound, just with a slightly different formula.
Swisher: Sophomore Year: In "Sophomore Year," Nick Swisher of the A's talks about playing with the Big Hurt.
Gillette: Ranking the playoff teams: Who has the best rotation, bullpen, lineup, defense and bench? Gary Gillette ranks the playoff teams in each category.
End text -------------------------
Gallo: MLB breakdown: DJ Gallo's in-depth, position-by-position analysis is your best bet to determine who will win the Divisional Series.
A's to go with Haren, not shaky Harden in Game 3: Oakland Athletics manager Ken Macha said Tuesday that right-hander Dan Haren will start Game 3 of the AL divisional series against Minnesota, followed by righty Rich Harden in Game 4.
Monday, October 2
Olney: Top 10 ALDS matchups: How the A's relievers handle the Twins' left-handed bats is among the top 10 ALDS matchups to keep a very close eye on.
Page 2: Must-see TV: Are you excited about the baseball postseason? Just in case, we've got 100 reasons why you simply have to tune in.
Don't forget Cuddyer: Rookie in '02 ready to star in '06: Don't forget Michael Cuddyer, who was a rookie on that team, the first since 1991 to make the playoffs and the only one since that last World Series title to advance to the AL championship series.
Set to duel in playoffs, A's, Twins from same mold: The Twins are pitted against the Oakland Athletics, the AL West winners, a team they beat in the division series four years ago, and a club molded by an organization with similar payroll constraints and a productive farm system.
Spoiler alert: Playoff foes aim to prevent Subway Series: Everyone on Broadway is gearing up for another Subway Series. But six other teams like their playoff chances, too, and they plan to spoil the party.
Sunday, October 1
Mauer first AL catcher with batting title: Joe Mauer became the first catcher to win the American League batting title, going 2-for-4 for the Minnesota Twins on the final day of the regular season to hold off the New York Yankees' Derek Jeter.
Big Hurt drives in four as A's edge Angels in 10: Frank Thomas homered and drove in four runs, Jeremy Brown scored the go-ahead run on pitcher Brendan Donnelly's throwing error in the 10th inning, and the A's beat the Los Angeles Angels 11-10 Sunday.
Central reversal: Twins grab division: The Twins took home another AL Central championship on Sunday and Joe Mauer became the first catcher to win an American League batting title by getting two hits in Minnesota's 5-1 victory over the White Sox.
More Features

ATHLETICS LOCAL HEADLINES

Athletics local archive

TWINS LOCAL HEADLINES

Twins local archive

ATHLETICS WON 3-0

Fri, 10/6

A's sweep Twins for first playoff series win since '90
Final: Box Score | Play By Play

All games heard live on ESPN Radio
Your Affiliate Station | Ask A Question | Ticket Search

SportsCenter Right Now

SC Highlight Of The Night

New Orleans Celebrates Saints' ...

More Video

SERIES NOTES

ELIAS SAYS
• The A's will be going to the American League Championship Series for the 11th time in franchise history, tying them with the Braves for the second-most appearances in the LCS among all franchises. Only the Yankees (12) have been to the LCS more often.

• Oakland advanced to the ALCS without ever trailing in any game of the division series. Over the past seven years (1999-2005) only two teams swept a postseason series without trailing in any game. The Red Sox did that in the 2004 World Series, as did the Cardinals in last year's NLDS against San Diego.

• Both the A's and the Twins had 26 hits in their ALDS. It's the seventh time in postseason history, and the first time in AL playoff history, that the winning team in a series sweep did not outhit the losing team. It also happened in the 1939 World Series (Yankees over Reds), 1970 NLCS (Reds over Pirates), 1976 NLCS (Reds over Phillies), 1995 NLDS (Reds over Dodgers), 1996 NLDS (Cardinals over Padres) and 2005 NLDS (Cardinals over Padres).

More from Elias Says

TEAM STATISTICS

MIN		OAK
.257	BA	.245
7	R	16
1	SB	0
5	HR	5
19	K	11
3.81	ERA	2.33

BATTING	PITCHING
Series Stats
MIN \| OAK	MIN \| OAK
Season Stats
MIN \| OAK	MIN \| OAK
Head-To-Head Stats
MIN \| OAK	MIN \| OAK

Regular Season head-to-head

EXPERT PICKS
Crasnick	Olney	Caple	Phillips	Kurkjian

Complete ESPN expert predictions