Worth noting

• Third baseman Trevor Plouffe was back in the starting lineup and batting third on Saturday. Plouffe missed Friday's game after tweaking his left wrist. Gardenhire, who hadn't known the minor injury dated back to June, said he gets a report from trainers with all medical updates.

"He's been swinging great," the skipper said. "It's a non-issue if I don't know about it."

• Gardenhire said Friday's losing pitcher, left-hander Andrew Albers, will get one more start, so long as the Twins don't decide he's already hit his innings limit for the year. Albers has pitched 186 2/3 innings between Triple-A and the Majors in 2013, up from 103 in 2012.

• There wasn't a lot to smile about during the Twins' 11-0 loss on Friday, but one play caused Gardenhire to grin: Arcia's infield double when three Athletics ran to cover first base in the ninth inning.

"I never got a hit like that," said Gardenhire, who is three victories shy of 1,000 for his managerial career. "I could have been a .240 hitter with hits like that."

During his playing career, Gardenhire batted .232 across five seasons with the New York Mets.

• Right-handed reliever Anthony Swarzak left the team before Friday's game because of a personal family issue in Minnesota, the team announced on Saturday.