Athletics at Minnesota Twins

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ATH	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
MIN	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	—	2	6	1

Both rotations are still setting probable starters for Saturday, so no names to lock in yet — but the bigger story is how thin each staff has gotten. The Athletics have already lost J.T. Ginn to a blister-related IL stint and are still without Luis Severino and Gunnar Hoglund for the year, while the Twins are missing Pablo Lopez, David Festa and Mick Abel from their rotation. Whoever takes the ball Saturday is doing it for a pitching staff running on fumes on both sides.

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FINAL

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ML

Total

Athletics(43-59)

LLWLW

0

+1.5-138+133o10.5+120

Twins(51-53)

WWLLL

2

-1.5+141-135u10.5-120

Best BetTwins -149

Pregame

The Twins are the pick here, and it's not close on paper — Minnesota's lineup is humming with Buxton back, while Oakland just got outscored badly across a brutal series in Arizona. The Athletics' rotation losses keep piling up, and this reads as a team running low on answers on the road.

The lineups tell a clearer story than the arms right now. Byron Buxton is back and mashing — 25 home runs and a .274 average — and Minnesota's offense ranks third in the AL in slugging, which matters against an A's staff that's been getting torched. Oakland counters with Shea Langeliers, who's quietly put together a strong season (23 homers, 51 RBI), but he can't cover for a lineup that just got run out of Arizona.

Brady Basso

(0-0)·5.06 ERA

07/25 Lineup

Kendry Rojas

(1-1)·3.34 ERA

Jul 21 @ Guardians

ND

2.1IP

2ER

2K

2BB

47P

07/25 Lineup

Nick Kurtz's potential return this weekend is the one thing Oakland fans can look forward to — the first baseman has been cleared to begin a hitting progression after a thumb injury, and this series against the Twins is the earliest realistic landing spot. It won't fix the pitching staff, but a healthy middle-of-the-order bat would be a real lift for a team that's lost Brent Rooker for the season and is still shuffling around Zack Gelof and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer at third.

Athletics

(43-59)

Jul 22L@ Diamondbacks5-15

Jul 22L@ Diamondbacks5-6

Jul 21W@ Diamondbacks5-2

Jul 19Lvs Nationals2-5

Jul 19Wvs Nationals15-1

Minnesota Twins

(51-53)

Jul 23W@ Guardians3-1

Jul 22W@ Guardians10-6

Jul 21L@ Guardians2-5

Jul 20L@ Guardians4-13

Jul 19L@ Cubs1-10

Minnesota's turnaround has been abrupt. After dropping three straight to open a stretch against Cleveland, the Twins reeled off back-to-back wins to close that series and arrive home with a little wind at their back. It's not a complete reversal — the Twins are still a game under .500 — but 8-5 in July is the kind of stretch that keeps a fringe wild-card hope alive, and Buxton playing like an All-Star again is a big reason why.

Athletics

(12)

• Day-To-DayColby Thomas (RF) — Thomas was diagnosed with a bruised left wrist after exiting Monday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/21
• 10-Day-ILJoshua Kuroda-Grauer (3B) — Kuroda-Grauer was diagnosed with a testicular contusion after exiting Monday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/21
• 10-Day-ILNick Kurtz (1B) — Kurtz (thumb), who was cleared to begin a hitting progression and fielded grounders Monday, could return from the injured list as early as this weekend against the Twins, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/21
• 10-Day-ILZack Gelof (3B) — Gelof will begin baseball activities once the stitches on his right knee are removed Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/18
• 15-Day-ILJ.T. Ginn (SP) — The Athletics placed Ginn on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to a blister on his right middle finger.07/22
• 15-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. (RP) — The Athletics reinstated Leiter (hip) from the 15-day injured list Friday.07/21
• 15-Day-ILJustin Sterner (RP) — Sterner earned his first save of the season in Wednesday's extra-inning win over the Cubs. He tossed a perfect inning while striking out one.07/18
• 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — Severino's (shoulder) recent MRI showed signs of healing, but manager Mark Kotsay indicated Saturday that the right-hander is several weeks away from a potential return to the rotation, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/19
• 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF) — Manager Mark Kotsay said Saturday that Clarke (hamstring) is nearing a rehab assignment, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/19
• 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.06/16
• 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20

Minnesota Twins

(9)

• Day-To-DayVictor Caratini (C) — Caratini was removed from Wednesday's game against the Guardians with an apparent knee injury, Joey Mistretta of ClutchPoints.com reports.07/23
• 15-Day-ILMarco Raya (RP) — Raya (shoulder) struck out two and allowed two earned runs on one hit and one walk across one inning in a rehab appearance Saturday with Triple-A St. Paul.07/20
• 15-Day-ILConnor Prielipp (SP) — Prielipp (finger) struck out three and allowed no hits and one walk over three scoreless innings Sunday in a rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul.07/20
• 15-Day-ILAnthony Banda (RP) — Banda underwent surgery to repair his left lat strain and will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/09
• 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — Sands (forearm) tossed a perfect inning in his rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.07/08
• 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said that Festa (shoulder) is scheduled to visit Dr. Robert Bowers in Atlanta on Tuesday and Wednesday to receive an additional medical opinion after the right-hander recently showed symptoms of a potential recurrence of thoracic outlet syndrome, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/20
• 60-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — The Twins plan to re-evaluate Abel (elbow) on Sept. 1, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/20
• 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — Acton (shoulder) struck out a batter and allowed three earned runs on one hit and three walks over two-thirds of an inning in a rehab appearance Tuesday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.07/15
• 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

Oakland's trip through Arizona was about as bad as it gets — a 5-6 nail-biter followed by a 15-5 blowout loss that says everything about where the pitching depth currently stands. Add in the injury to Colby Thomas and the earlier scare with Kuroda-Grauer, and this is a roster that's been stress-tested for weeks. The Twins, by contrast, are getting healthier at the right time, with Caratini's knee the only fresh concern on their side.