Oakland @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 4, 2016 ) Oakland 3, Minnesota 1

Coco Crisp is heating up after a frigid start and attempts to extend his hitting streak to 12 games when the Oakland Athletics visit the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in the middle contest of a three-game set. Crisp delivered the tiebreaking two-run single in the seventh inning on Monday to provide the Athletics with a 3-1 victory.

The 36-year-old Crisp is 17-for-46 with two homers, 14 RBIs and 12 runs scored during a tear that has seen his average raise 26 points to .247. Oakland halted a four-game losing streak in which it allowed 29 runs while Minnesota had its modest two-game winning snapped. Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe (rib) was placed on the disabled list Monday and will be sidelined for approximately one month after an MRI exam revealed the soreness he was experiencing was actually a fracture. "I wish I could keep hitting with my broken rib, but unfortunately it's getting worse and worse," Plouffe told reporters. "I guess it's a symptom of it, where the first couple days I was able to play through it, but then (Sunday) and the day before it was pretty painful. So we decided to get an MRI and see what was going on in there, and there was a fracture."

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, CSN California (Oakland), FSN North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics LH Sean Manaea (3-4, 5.40 ERA) vs. Twins LH Tommy Milone (0-2, 6.23)

Manaea defeated San Francisco in his last outing when he allowed six hits in 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The 24-year-old also pitched well against the Twins on June 1 when he gave up one run and five hits and struck out a career-best eight in a 5-1 victory. Manaea has allowed just two total runs in his three victories but has an 8.46 ERA in his four losses.

Milone has pitched seven total innings in two starts since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester and might need a solid outing to remain in the rotation. He has lasted more than five innings in just one of his six major-league starts this season and opponents are batting .328 against him. Milone gave up seven runs (five earned) in 2 2/3 innings to lose last season in his lone career outing against the Athletics, the franchise for which he went 31-22 in 2 1/2 seasons from 2012-14.

WALK-OFFS

1. Athletics 3B Danny Valencia is 3-for-29 with 12 strikeouts over the past seven games.

2. Minnesota recalled 1B Kennys Vargas - who went 0-for-3 on Monday - from Rochester to fill Plouffe's roster spot.

3. Oakland placed RHP Fernando Rodriguez (shoulder) on the 15-day disabled and optioned LHP Daniel Coulombe to Triple-A Nashville, and recalled RHP Andrew Triggs and LHP Patrick Schuster from the same club.

PREDICTION: Athletics 5, Twins 4