The Twins Need To Win Weekend Series Over Athletics
Athletics vs Twins Series Preview: Oakland's Bats Have Gone Silent

The Minnesota Twins will look to take advantage of a four-game series against the lowly Oakland Athletics.
The Twins are eight games out of first place in the AL Central tonight. However, they’re still 36-32 on the season and have a legitimate chance for an AL Wild Card spot.
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On the other hand, the Athletics are already thinking about their move to Sacramento and won’t be playing any meaningful baseball late in the season.
- That said, the Twins are already -233 on the moneyline for the series’ first game. Meanwhile, the total is currently at 8.
With four games to talk about, let’s get right to our Athletics vs Twins series preview.
Athletics vs Twins 
📊Records:Oakland Athletics (26-44), Minnesota Twins (36-32)
📅Date & Time: Thursday, June 13, 7:40 p.m. ET
📍Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
📺Streaming: NBCSCA, Bally Sports North
Lucas Erceg Reinstated
The Athletics will have Lucas Erceg back in the bullpen. The 29-year-old setup man had been on the IL since May 31 with forearm tightness.
Erceg was 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA and two saves in 21 relief appearances this season. The former second-round pick will be a huge addition to the back end of the bullpen.
The Athletics sent rookie reliever Michael Otanez back to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move.
Royce Lewis’ Historic Home Run
The Minnesota Twins scored 17 runs in yesterday’s contest against the Rockies. Royce Lewis connected for a home run in that game and went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBIs.
Lewis now has 22 home runs in his first 80 career games. That’s two more than any other player in Twins history. He’s also the first player since Nelson Cruz to hit as many home runs in his first 80 games with the franchise.
It’s safe to say Minnesota fans are stoked that Lewis is finally healthy and performing. The teams ahead of the Twins in the MLB standings should be nervous.
@mlb “Where the water reflects the sky …” ☀️ The Twins City Connect uniform is a celebration of the 10,000 lakes that shape and unite them #baseball #fashion #minnesota ♬ Lo-fi hip hop – NAO-K
Athletics vs Twins Series Preview & Odds For Game 1:
RL Twins -1.5 (-117) ML: Twins -233, O/U: 8 -110/-110
⚾ Game 1 ⚾
Thursday, 7:40 pm ET
Luis Medina vs. Joe Ryan
The Athletics will pitch Luis Medina for the first game of the series. Medina has only thrown against 45 batters this year, but he’s walked 15.6% of them and has allowed a .189 ISO.
He’s struggled more against lefties with more fly balls allowed and fewer ground balls induced. In addition, Medina has struck out the same amount of batters as walked this year.
Meanwhile, over the last 30 days, the Twins’ projected lineup has only hit a .171 ISO and wOBA of .299 against righties. Still, the Twins have worked 9.9% of walks and have only struck out 22.2% of the time in the last month with the projected lineup.
On the other hand, the Twins will pitch Joe Ryan. Ryan has a 3.30 ERA and has limited teams to a .283 wOBA this season. He’s also earned over 27% of strikeouts and has limited teams to a 4.2% walk rate.
Ultimately, he’ll face an Oakland offense that has hit a .112 ISO and wOBA of .265 with 26.6% of strikeouts and 6.5% of walks against righties in the last 30 days.
- Ryan should pitch a gem. The Twins on the runline at -1.5 (-117) is one of the best MLB bets today.
⚾ Game 2 ⚾
Friday, 8:10 pm ET
Mitch Spence vs. Simeon Woods Richardson
Mitch Spence will get the ball in Game 2. Spence is a right-handed pitcher who has a 3.68 ERA on the season. Spence might not add a ton of strikeouts, but he’s held teams to a .115 ISO and wOBA of .289 with nearly 50% of ground balls this season.
This season, Spence has been one of the most consistent starters in the Athletics’ rotation.
He’ll compete against Simeon Woods Richardson of the Twins, who have also been very good this season. Like Spence, Woods Richardson doesn’t add a bunch of strikeouts. But he’s still limited teams to a .111 ISO and wOBA of .273. You can thank his walk rate of just 5.3% for those numbers.
Woods Richardson has also increased his ground ball rate by 10% over the last 30 days. That’s also been very helpful and another reason why he has a 2.84 ERA on the season.
We’d back the Under in Game 2 of this series.
⚾ Game 3 ⚾
Saturday, 2:10 pm ET
Joey Estes vs. Bailey Ober
On Saturday, Oakland will roll with Joey Estes. Estes has been miserable against left-handed hitters as a right-handed pitcher. He’s allowed a .312 ISO and wOBA of .367 to 54 lefties this season. Furthermore, Estes has given up 35.1% of line drives and 37.8% of fly balls to lefties this year.
Estes will duel it out with Bailey Ober of the Twins. The Minnesota righty has given up a .354 ISO and wOBA of .514 to his last 54 righties. He’s been far from perfect. However, the Athletics don’t have a quality offense to take advantage of.
Just keep paying attention to those MLBlive scores when the Athletics play. The number rarely moves!
⚾ Game 4 ⚾
Sunday, 2:10 pm ET
JP Sears vs. Chris Paddack
Oakland will finally send out a lefty in this series. JP Sears has only struck out 16.8% of batters, but he’s held teams to a wOBA of .299 thanks to 19.7% of line drives allowed.
Still, Sears has allowed a .175 ISO and wOBA of .315 to righties. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s pitching at a high level, especially over the last month.
Meanwhile, the Twins really struggle to get on base against lefties. Only Byron Buxton has had consistent success with a wOBA of .449 against lefties over the last 30 days. Sears should pitch pretty well in this series finale.
Chris Paddack will get the call for Minnesota. He’s limited teams to a .151 ISO and only 4.5% of walks. That should be enough to keep the Athletics off the board. Consider the Under in this final game of the Athletics vs. Twins series preview.
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