Minnesota 2; Oakland 1

OAKLAND, Calif., July 4 (UPI) -- Johan Santana pitched 6 1/3 strong innings Wednesday night and Eddie Guardado nailed down his 26th save as the Minnesota Twins edged the Oakland Athletics, 2-1.

With Minnesota holding a 3-2 lead on Tuesday, Guardado was called upon to close out a victory, but with one on and one out, the veteran lefthander served up a game-winning homer to pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz.

Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire kept his faith in Guardado, summoning him to start the ninth on Wednesday to protect a 2-1 advantage.

Guardado did not disappoint, needing just 11 pitches to retire the Athletics in order.

Santana (4-1) allowed one run and six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts for his third consecutive victory.

Oakland starter Mark Mulder (9-5) deserved a better fate, tossing his second complete game of the season and yielding just two runs and six hits with a walk and a career-high 12 strikeouts. The lefthander, who was named American League Pitcher of the Month for June, saw a personal seven-game winning streak come to an end.

Bobby Kielty and Doug Mientkiewicz drove in runs for the Twins, who have won four of their last six contests.