Thursday’s forecast in Minneapolis calls for clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s. First pitch for this AL matchup is set for 7:40 PM ET from Target Field. Oakland is 5th in the AL West with an overall record of 26-44, and the Twins are 3rd in the AL Central, going 36-32.
Minnesota is the heavy favorite on the money line, with odds of -244 compared to the Athletics at +202. The over/under line is sitting at 8 runs, and NSPCA is carrying this game on TV. Joe Ryan is starting for the Twins, while the Athletics are sending Luis Medina to the mound.
Struggling Athletics Look to Break Losing Streak Against Twins; Medina Takes the Mound,
The Athletics are 26-44 and in 5th place in the AL West, trailing the Mariners by 14 games. Oakland has lost five straight games and are 2-8 across their last 10. They are just 6-14 against other AL West teams. Oakland is 11-24 on the road compared to 15-20 at home and 20-42 as the underdog. The A’s have lost four straight games as the road underdog and are 6-2 as the favorite. Overall, they are 7-14-1 in series this season and have lost six straight series.
Today, the Athletics are taking on the Twins, with the over/under line set at 8 runs. Oakland has an over/under record of 30-38 this season and are 8-11-1 when the line is set at 8 runs. Luis Medina is making his third start of the season for the A’s, coming off a no-decision vs. the Braves. So far, the A’s offense is 29th in scoring at 3.6 runs per game, with a .221 batting average and .292 OBP. They are 5th in homers, with Abraham Toro and Brent Rooker leading the way. Miguel Andujar and Tyler Soderstrom are both on hitting streaks for Oakland.
Twins Look to Close Gap in AL Central with Favorable Matchup Against Athletics,
Minnesota is 36-32 this season and 8.0 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Twins are 15-11 in divisional games and 18-14 at home. They are favored today against the Athletics, and the over/under line is set at 8 runs. So far, the Twins are 30-36 vs. the over/under line and 4-10-2 when the line is set at 8 runs.
Joe Ryan is 4-5 this season and has an ERA of 3.30. He has a WHIP of .97 and has walked just 1.48 batters per nine innings. The Twins offense is 9th in scoring this season at 4.5 runs per game. Willi Castro, Carlos Santana, and Ryan Jeffers have been their top hitters. Carlos Correa is hitting .520 over his last six games. The Twins offense is 14th in batting average and 8th in slugging.
Twins to Triumph at Home: Expect a High-Scoring Showdown Against Athletics,
Our prediction for this Athletics vs. Twins matchup is to take the Twins to pick up the win at home. However, with the Twins’ money line sitting at -244, we recommend taking the over at 8 runs, as we have this game ending with a 6-5 win for the Twins.
Looking at today’s starters, Luis Medina is projected to finish with five strikeouts, while Joe Ryan is predicted to finish with six. Ryan is also projected to give up more hits than Medina, and we have him finishing with a higher ERA.
