MINNEAPOLIS – Michael Cuddyer homered and drove in four runs, Carlos Silva threw seven smooth innings and the Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 9-4 to move within 11/2 games of idle Detroit in the AL Central.

Torii Hunter also homered and Nick Punto added a two-run single for the Twins, who trailed the Tigers by 12 games at the All-Star break and had not been this close to first place since before play on April 18.

Silva (9-13) has struggled all season, but his last two starts have been the best of the year. He gave up five hits, one run and one walk while striking out one.

Silva’s only blemish was a fourth-inning home run by Frank Thomas, who homered for the sixth straight game – two shy of the major league record – and has 36 this season.

First-place Oakland began the day 51/2 games ahead of Los Angeles in the AL West. The Angels hosted the Chicago White Sox, who entered the night in third in the Central and 11/2 games behind the Twins in the wild-card standings.

Oakland starter Joe Blanton (15-11) didn’t run into trouble until the fourth, when Cuddyer followed Joe Mauer’s single with a two-run homer. Justin Morneau came next with a single and scored on an error by Eric Chavez. The five-time Gold Glove third baseman bobbled Jason Bartlett’s chopper with his bare hand and couldn’t throw him out.

Joe Nathan got last four outs for his 31st save, retiring Marco Scutaro on a popup with the bases loaded to end the eighth with the tying run at first. Chavez hit a sacrifice fly earlier in the inning off Jesse Crain, a run charged to Dennys Reyes that ended his scoreless innings streak at 21 1-3. Crain later walked Dan Johnson, forcing in a run and cutting the lead to 6-3.

Chavez walked and Jay Payton singled to start the seventh, but Silva – who lowered his ERA to 6.09 – escaped without any runs. Punto stabbed a sharp one-hopper by Mark Ellis and threw him out to end the inning.

Silva held Tampa Bay to one hit over six scoreless innings last week before complaining of an upset stomach and pulling himself from a game that Minnesota’s majors-leading bullpen blew.

Hunter homered leading off the sixth and Punto, after Brad Halsey had replaced Blanton, drove in Jason Tyner and Bartlett with his two-out hit that made it 6-1.

Blanton surrendered nine hits, six runs (five earned) and three walks in 5 1-3 innings.

Thomas, who has 98 RBIs, talked with Minnesota over the winter. General manager Terry Ryan was concerned, however, about the health of his left ankle – which ruined his last two years with the White Sox – on the Metrodome’s artificial turf. Rondell White was signed to be the Twins’ designated hitter instead, and he’s batting .225 with six homers and 31 RBIs.

An unexpected season by Cuddyer, the new cleanup hitter who was still fighting for a starting job in spring training, has helped make up for at least some of that lost power. He has a career-best 22 homers and 98 RBIs. Cuddyer hit a two-run double off Jay Witasick in the eighth to make it 8-3, and Hunter followed with an RBI groundout.

Notes: Oakland’s Rich Harden threw a simulated game in the afternoon without pain, and the right-hander – who has pitched only six times this season first because of a back injury and then due to elbow problems – could make a rehab start in the minors this week. … Because White has hit better when he plays in the field, Minnesota manager Ron Gardenhire used him in left and made Tyner the DH. Tyner has not homered in 1,012 career at-bats. Thomas, by comparison, has 484 homers. … After going a career-best seven starts without allowing a home run, Blanton has been taken deep five times in this last three outings. … With six homers in six games, Thomas set an Oakland record that he previously shared with George Alusik, Dave Kingman and Matt Stairs.

AP-ES-09-11-06 2317EDT