Worth noting

• Rookie catcher Josmil Pinto entered Tuesday night's series opener with 13 hits in 23 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 31, including five doubles and a homer. Kirby Puckett is the only player in Twins history with more hits than Pinto in the first seven games of a career, as Puckett had 16 hits in his first seven big league games in 1984.

Since 1980, only Jay Bruce had a higher batting average than Pinto in the first seven games in the Majors with a minimum of 20 at-bats, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Bruce hit .577 in his first seven games with the Reds.

• The Twins have fared well against the American League West this year, as they entered Tuesday's game against the A's with an 18-8 mark against AL West foes. They went 5-1 against both the Angels and Astros, and 4-3 against both the Mariners and Rangers.

• Outfielder Josh Willingham, who has been struggling recently, was moved down to the sixth spot in the lineup on Tuesday night. It marked the first time since 2009 that he started a game batting sixth or lower in a lineup. He's hitting just .203 on the year, and just .153 with two homers in 27 games since coming back from left knee surgery on Aug. 9.