MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Eric Milton trailed Oakland 2-0 and was in trouble in the third inning with runners on second and third and no outs.

Then he struck out John Jaha and Matt Stairs, and Olmedo Saenz lined to center.

	In his last four decisions, all wins, Eric Milton has allowed just five earned runs in 32 innings, a 1.41 ERA.

"We had him on the ropes and we let him off," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "Not only didn't we score more runs in that inning, but they tied the game up."

Milton (6-1) allowed both runs and seven hits in seven innings, showing no ill effects from the bruised leg that caused him to leave his June 6 start at Houston after two innings.

"He was out of whack early," Minnesota manager Tom Kelly said. "But then he settled down and got rolling. We made some plays in the field and Eric pitched well. That was a good combination."

Milton, who struck out a season-high 11, allowing only a two-run homer to Ben Grieve in the second inning. The strikeouts were two short of his career high, set last Sept. 11 when he no-hit the Anaheim Angels.

"I got in a groove but it took a while," Milton said. "When you make a mistake like I did to Grieve, you tend to concentrate more. After the third, I got into a good groove."

Minnesota pitchers struck out a season-high 16 in all.

"This is the kind of groove I feel I can get into every time," Milton said. "They're a good hitting team but the defense was very good behind me tonight."

Since lasting just 2 1/3 innings in a 14-0 loss at Seattle on May 15, Milton is 4-0 and has allowed just five earned runs in 32 innings, a 1.41 ERA.

"He's emerging as one of the top pitchers in the league," Howe said. "Milton and (Brad) Radke are two guys everyone in this league would want."

Jacque Jones, who had three RBI, had a run-scoring groundout in the third, and another run scored on a throwing error by Miguel Tejada.

Following a one-out single by David Ortiz in the fourth, Huskey sent a drive to left that tipped off Grieve's glove over the fence. Corey Koskie walked, Matt Lawton was hit by a pitch and Jones hit a two-run triple, scoring on Denny Hocking's squeeze bunt to make it 7-2.

Gil Heredia (8-4) allowed five runs and four hits in four innings. His ERA, which had been second in the league behind Boston's Pedro Martinez (0.95), rose from 3.13 to 3.64.

Oakland lost for just the third time in 12 games and dropped into second place in the AL West, a half-game behind Seattle.

Grieve, in a 4-for-29 slump, put the A's ahead with an upper-deck shot in the second inning.

Game notes
Heredia dropped to 6-1 on the road this year. He is 1-2 against the Twins this season. ... Jones' triple was the Twins' 22nd of the season, tops in the AL. ... The Twins' 16 strikeouts were one short of the club record, set May 6, 1966, against Boston in a nine-inning game and duplicated in a 13-inning game against Texas on June 6, 1987.