MINNEAPOLIS -- Neither the Minnesota Twins nor the Oakland Athletics wanted a postponement, despite a severe thunderstorm that delayed the first pitch by 2 hours and 42 minutes and left the ballpark largely empty.The long wait was well worth it for Tommy Milone and Twins.Kennys Vargas, Max Kepler and Miguel Sano hit home runs, Milone beat his old team and the Twins topped the Athletics 11-4 in a game that ended early Wednesday morning.When you win, it makes it look like a good decision so Im glad we got it in, Twins manager Paul Molitor said.The game started at 9:52 p.m. and ended at 1 a.m.They were right, As manager Bob Melvin said. They got it in.Winning for the first time in eight starts since Sept. 28, Milone finished the sixth inning for only the second time this season. Marcus Semien hit his 18th home run in the second, but that was all the As managed against Milone (1-2). He allowed five hits and one walk to the team that traded him to the Twins two summers ago, crediting catcher Kurt Suzuki for calling a smart game behind the plate.We were on the same page pretty much the whole night, Milone said.Milone averaged 4 1/2 innings over his first six starts this year. With top prospect Jose Berrios on a tear for Triple-A Rochester, the left-hander was likely pitching to keep his spot in the rotation. Molitor essentially acknowledged as much before and after the game.I try not to think about that. I try to just go out there and do what I do on the field, Milone said.Danny Valencia hit a three-run homer in the eighth to bring the As within 7-4, but Sano hit his three-run shot in the bottom of the inning to seal it and help the Twins (28-55) move ahead of Atlanta (28-56) in the race for the worst record in the major leagues.Vargas, recalled Monday from Triple-A Rochester, went deep for the first time since June 22, 2015, with a two-run, two-out home run in the fifth against Sean Manaea (3-5). Then Kepler homered on the next pitch.After a meager four-hit performance Monday, the Twins brought their bats to life. Suzuki, another former As player, had two RBI. Byron Buxton had two doubles, driving in one.The dark clouds rolled in early enough to cancel batting practice, but with both teams scheduled to travel Wednesday evening (Minnesota to Texas and Oakland to Houston) the preference was to avoid a doubleheader the next day. So they waited out the heavy rain, swirling wind and thunder and lightning, and the tarp was pulled off the infield at 9:17 p.m. In the clubhouse, some of the Twins gathered around shortstop Eduardo Nunezs cubicle to talk about his All-Star Game selection.Milone hadnt begun his pregame routine when the rain began, so he said he wasnt bothered much by the delay. Manaea might have been.I know he was pretty antsy, Melvin said. He kept coming in here asking me if Id heard anything. For starting pitchers, theyre the ones that are affected the most. Theyre very routine-oriented.WEATHER TRACKINGPaid attendance was announced at 16,938, the smallest crowd in Target Fields seven seasons. The actual number of people in the seats at first pitch couldnt have been much more than 1,000. The Twins granted fans ticket exchanges for a future game because of the delay, which was the 31st since the ballpark opened in 2010. There have been 14 postponed games and one suspended.TRAINERS ROOMATHLETICS: Oakland reserve catcher Josh Phegley, placed Sunday on the DL, had minor surgery in San Francisco to remove a cruciate ligament cyst on the inside of his right knee that was causing swelling and inflammation. Hell be reassessed in 10 days. Matt McBride has taken over as the backup.TWINS: Buxton was back in the Minnesota lineup after two days off to rest bumps and bruises. He crashed hard into the wall in left-center making a catch in the game Friday. In the seventh inning, Buxton made a sprinting grab of Jake Smolinskis smashed line drive and collided with the fence around the same spot.UP NEXTOakland RHP Sonny Gray (3-7, 5.42 ERA) will pitch Wednesday against Minnesota RHP Ervin Santana (2-7, 4.50 ERA) in the series finale.Gray is 0-2 with a 4.42 ERA in six starts since coming off the DL due to a trapezius muscle strain between his shoulder and neck. Santana gave up only three hits in his last start, going 6 2/3 innings in a defeat by Texas. That was his lowest hits total since opening day, when a rain delay limited him to two innings. Dylan Covey Jersey . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Carlos Rodon White Sox Jersey . World champions Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia won the gold medal with 237.71 points, Moore-Towers and Moscovitch followed at 208.45 and Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia were third at 187. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/2354e-michael-kopech-jersey-white-sox.html . But by the time the game started, the Toronto Raptors forward felt even worse. And, for three quarters, it showed as Gay shot a woeful three-for-13 from the field. Hector Santiago Jersey . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Joe Crede Jersey . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. LEXINGTON, Ky. --?Stephen Johnson came off the bench to throw two second-quarter touchdown passes, Benny Snell and Jojo Kemp each ran for two scores and Kentucky rallied past Austin Peay 49-13 on Saturday to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010.Drama preceded the Wildcats postseason-clinching victory with the pregame announcement that little-used sophomore Luke Wright would start at quarterback instead of Johnson because of a knee injury that wasnt previously disclosed. In-game anxiety followed as Kentucky trailed the FCS Governors 13-0 early in the second quarter and led to the emergency use of Johnson -- who looked healthy enough to guide his team into a 21-13 lead by halftime.Snells 30-yard TD run got Kentucky (6-5) going before Johnsons scoring passes of 14 yards to C.J. Conrad and 40 to Garrett Johnson. The Wildcats never looked back as Boom Williams ran for a 25-yard TD, Snell scored from 48 and Kemp from 40 and 7 yards en route to scoring 49 unanswered points.Its a happy locker room, said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who added, they stayed the course, never flinched and its never easy. Weve just got to continue to push forward.Snell carried 14 times for 152 yards to set a school single-season record for a freshman (1,006) and give Kentucky its first-ever 1,000-yard rushing duo with Williams (1,072).Kente Williams 17-yard TD run and Gun Scholatos 25-yard interception return of Wright for a score got Austin Peay (0-11) ahead.dddddddddddd The Governors couldnt stop Johnson or Kentucky after that and finished winless for the second consecutive season and with their 27th straight loss dating back to 2014.THE TAKEAWAYAustin Peay: The Governors drove deep into Kentucky territory on their two initial drives with Williams TD capping a 69-yard march on their second possession. But Javaughn Craig was intercepted twice in the first half, with the second leading to Kentuckys first TD. Austin Peay didnt cross midfield until the fourth quarter and was outgained 410-284.Kentucky: Holding penalties wiped out two early touchdowns that could have eased initial anxiety over Austin Peays fast start. Interceptions by Chris Westry and Mike Edwards saved them, the second of which led to their first TD. But Johnsons entry made the biggest difference in settling down an offense that struggled without him. Johnson completed 5 of 9 passes for 101 yards.UP NEXTAustin Peay: Season over.Kentucky: The Wildcats visit third-ranked (for now) Louisville (No. 6 CFP), aiming to end a five-game losing streak against their in-state rival and hand the Cardinals their second consecutive loss. ' ' '