OAKLAND, Calif. . -- Trevor Plouffe has struggled since returning from the disabled list and hitting into a triple play only served to highlight his recent problems. Oakland left-hander Brett Anderson pitched seven innings in his first start since undergoing elbow surgery nearly 15 months ago and the Athletics beat the Minnesota Twins 4-1 on Tuesday night. Plouffe has two hits in 29 at-bats (.069) since serving his stint on the disabled list with a bruised right thumb. He went hitless in eight at-bats during a rehab assignment. Just when it seemed like the Twins were knocking on the door against Anderson in the fifth with Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit both singling to open the inning, Plouffe grounded sharply to third baseman Josh Donaldson, who started the around-the-horn triple play. "We saw a pretty good pitching performance from both sides," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Anderson didnt give us much of a chance. We hit into a triple play and thats the breaks. That goes with the territory." Minnesota scored a run in the first on former Athletic Josh Willinghams RBI single after Ben Revere reached on an infield single, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. Anderson picked off Willingham straying off first base to get out of the inning then retired nine straight before Morneau and Doumit opened the fifth with hits, setting the stage for the third triple play in the majors this season. Cole De Vries (2-5) overcome a slow start to pitch effectively, retiring 10 of 11 hitters during one stretch. It still didnt prevent the Twins from losing for the 10th time in 12 games. "I was a little disappointed with myself in the first two innings," De Vries said. "I allowed myself to be too fine and I ended up going deep into counts and throwing too many pitches." De Vries retired the first two batters in the inning before Smith, Donaldson and Derek Norris followed with consecutive hits. Norris single to the gap in left-centre drove in Smith to give the As a 2-1 lead. "I was able to command the lower part of the zone," De Vries said. "Everything kind of melded together there." Anderson did the rest to win for the first time since May 26, 2011. He didnt walk a batter and retired his final seven hitters before departing after the seventh. De Vries struck out three in 5 2-3 innings but lost to the As for the second time this season and remained winless since June 30. NOTES: Injured Twins OF Denard Span was scheduled to have an MRI on his right clavicle but was unable to go through with the test because he felt claustrophobic. Gardenhire is hoping to avoid putting Span on the DL. ... The Twins announced RHP Carl Pavano will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with a bruise on his right humerus bone. ... As LHP Tommy Milone (9-9) opposes Twins RHP Liam Hendriks (0-5) Wednesday in a matchup of slumping pitchers. Milone is winless over his previous four starts while Hendriks has yet to win in the big leagues. Hendriks was called up from Triple-A Rochester before Tuesdays game. [url=http://www.ramsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-jared-cook-jersey-zb-53.ht... Cook Jersey . Relive all the drama at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN and TSN Mobile TV. The NHL on TSNs James Duthie hosts tonights broadcast alongside 1972 Summit Series teammates Bobby Clarke and Peter Mahovlich. You can also join TSN. . "I like to do that and Ive had very good feedback on it," he said. "You work so hard to get a victory. I aint going to leave them out there. Theyre battling for me." Sheets pitched six scoreless innings in his first game in two years and the Atlanta Braves beat the New York Mets 6-1 on Sunday for their season-high seventh straight victory. [url=http://www.ramsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-kendall-langford-jersey-hi... . Then Kidd was arrested on a drunken-driving charge, Lins departure from New York for a "ridiculous contract" in Houston became more realistic, and a position of strength suddenly was one of turbulence for the Knicks. [url=http://www.ramsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-tavon-austin-jersey-zq-89.... Austin Jersey . Coach Mike Smith went for the win, sticking with his starters all the way, but the Falcons lost the game and two key defensive players to injuries. Josh Freeman threw a touchdown pass to Mike Williams and Doug Martin ran for 142 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown run, in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22-17 victory over Atlanta on Sunday. . -- Glen Perkins appeared on the outs with the Minnesota Twins in 2010, his struggles on the mound compounded by a grievance he filed against the team the previous season.There will be some added Canadian content at Rumble at Rama VI on November 21st as Raymond "Mount Kilimanjaro" Olubowale (7-2-1, 4 KOs) defends his crown against Brampton, Ontarios Greg Kielsa (7-0, 3 KOs). "This is easily the most important Canadian Heavyweight title fight since the days of George Chuvalo," Kielsas manager, James Jardine, said. "These guys arent club fighters who have no business being called champions. These are true, legit contenders, whose careers will be greatly affected by the outcome." Kielsa, who was born in Bialystok, Poland annd competed for Poland in the 2000 Olympics, is coming off an eight round unanimous decision win Jerry Butler at Rumble at Rama V this past August. [url=http://www.ramsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-johnny-hekker-jersey-ys-77... Hekker Jersey. . "This is my biggest fight as a pro, without question. Its all Ive been thinking about," Kielsa said of his showdown with Olubowale. "Once the fight hits rounds 7, 8, or 9, I know Ray will get tired, no question about that." Kielsa vs. Olubowale should be an excellent appetizer for the main event where IBF Junior Featherweight champion Steve Molitor faces WBA champion Celestino Caballeros. ' ' '