Atlanta Braves at Minnesota Twins

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
ATL	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	6	0
MIN	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	—	4	10	0

Tyler Mahle and Zebby Matthews took the ball for a 6:40 PM CT first pitch, a matchup that looked lopsided on paper — Atlanta's most dependable rotation arm since the trade deadline against a Twins righty who's only back in the rotation because of an injury elsewhere. Mahle arrived off a 7-strikeout outing against the Mets, while Matthews was making another turn in a spot he inherited when Minnesota needed a fill-in.

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FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Braves(74-51)

LWLLW

1

-1.5+120-138o8.5-120

Twins(61-65)

WLLLW

4

+1.5-122+135u8.5+122

Best BetBraves -120

Postgame

This one didn't come through — Minnesota's early runs held up and Atlanta's lineup never found an answer, managing just a single run across nine innings. The bullpen worry in the bear case wasn't even the deciding factor; the offense going cold against a patched-together Twins rotation piece is the more surprising miss.

Pregame

Atlanta's the deeper roster from top to bottom, and Mahle's last outing showed he can miss bats without the free passes. Minnesota's counting on offense from a lineup that just lost Austin Martin, with half its rotation already lost to injury for the season. The price here basically reflects that talent gap, and it should hold up over 9 innings.

That fill-in status matters. Joe Ryan's glute strain is what pushed Matthews back into the rotation in the first place, and a Twins staff already without David Festa, Cole Sands and Mick Abel for the season isn't operating at full strength. Atlanta's own pitching depth isn't as deep as its record suggests either — Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are both still working back from elbow trouble, leaving the Braves thinner up the middle than a 74-51 club usually is.

Tyler Mahle

(4-10)·4.53 ERA

Aug 12 vs Mets

W

6.0IP

1ER

7K

0BB

93P

08/18 Lineup

Zebby Matthews

(7-8)·5.12 ERA

Aug 12 vs Orioles

W

5.0IP

4ER

4K

2BB

94P

08/18 Lineup

None of that stopped Minnesota from grabbing the lead early and getting enough length out of its bullpen to protect it, which is exactly the kind of result that doesn't show up cleanly until the late innings settle it.

The Twins put up 2 runs in the first inning and Atlanta couldn't answer, finally scratching across a single run in the sixth before Minnesota tacked on 2 more insurance runs in the eighth to close it out 4-1. It's Minnesota's second win over Atlanta in as many nights — the kind of short-series result that doesn't move the standings much but is still a rough look for a team with the league's best record.

Atlanta Braves

(74-51)

Aug 17L@ Twins2-4

Aug 16Wvs Diamondbacks5-3

Aug 15Lvs Diamondbacks3-10

Aug 14Lvs Diamondbacks0-2

Aug 12Wvs Mets6-3

Minnesota Twins

(61-65)

Aug 17Wvs Braves4-2

Aug 16Lvs Phillies5-7

Aug 15Lvs Phillies1-9

Aug 13Lvs Phillies1-7

Aug 12Wvs Orioles7-5

Atlanta's bullpen picture is the bigger concern going forward. Reynaldo Lopez and Robert Suarez are both still rebuilding arm strength on the injured list, which leaves Walt Weiss patching innings with less-proven relievers until they're back. Minnesota has its own hole to manage in right field after Austin Martin left Monday's game with a hamstring strain and was sent for an MRI — but for one more night, the shorthanded club found a way to make it work anyway.

Atlanta Braves

(7)

• 15-Day-ILReynaldo Lopez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said that Lopez (knee) completed a bullpen session Tuesday, Jesus Cano of The Athletic reports.08/14
• 15-Day-ILRobert Suarez (RP) — Suarez (elbow) will advance his throwing progression on flat ground Thursday, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.08/12
• suspensionJurickson Profar (LF) — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach (SP) — Schwellenbach (elbow) is still not feeling 100 percent and will have his throwing progression slowed, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.08/12
• 60-Day-ILSpencer Strider (SP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said Monday that Strider (elbow) will begin a throwing progression this week, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.08/10
• 60-Day-ILJoe Jimenez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss revealed Wednesday that Jimenez underwent another surgery on his left knee 3-to-4 weeks ago, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/13
• 60-Day-ILJoey Wentz (RP) — Atlanta placed Wentz (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

Minnesota Twins

(8)

• 10-Day-ILAustin Martin (RF) — Twins manager Derek Shelton said that Martin sustained a left hamstring strain in the eighth inning of Sunday's 7-5 loss to the Phillies and will be sent in for an MRI, Aaron Gleeman of Aaron Gleeman.com reports.08/17
• 15-Day-ILJoe Ryan (SP) — Ryan (glute) threw on flat ground Monday, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.08/11
• 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
• 60-Day-ILMike Paredes (SP) — The Twins transferred Paredes (oblique) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Saturday.08/02
• 60-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — Sands will undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove loose bodies and bone spurs from his right elbow, Jack Azoulay-Haron of ElEmergente.com reports.07/31
• 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — Festa (shoulder) will undergo a season-ending double surgery Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/29
• 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-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

Atlanta's still the better team over 162 games, but Minnesota has now taken 2 straight from them, and that's the kind of series that lingers even for a club sitting well outside the playoff race.