Mike Sweeney Successful in Return to A's

Mike Sweeney returned to the starting lineup for the first time in six games and ended a 39-game homerless streak spanning 140 at-bats with a solo shot in the eighth inning, helping Oakland to a 3-0 win over the Minnesota Twins last night. Sweeney also had an RBI single and scored Oakland's first run. The shutout was the third this year for the Twins.

Chad Gaudin (2-1) went seven innings and retired 11 straight and 18 of 19 during one stretch on the way to his second straight victory. The right-hander threw just 84 pitches, struck out four and didn't walk a batter for the first time in four starts. The A's ended a five-game losing streak in the series and snapped Minnesota's three-game winning streak. (More MLB stories.)