The Oakland Athletics (26-45) travel to face off against the Minnesota Twins (37-32) on Friday, June 14th. This game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis and televised on NSPCA. The Twins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Athletics are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Twins. First pitch is set for 7:10 CT.
Athletics vs Twins
It was all Minnesota in the last game of this series, as the Twins took down the Athletics by a score of 6-2. The Twins had a huge 2nd inning, scoring all six of their runs. As for the Athletics, they scored their only two runs in the 7th.
Joe Ryan pitched well for the Twins in this one, going seven innings and giving up just two earned runs. He finished the game with five strikeouts and allowed just one home run. On the other side, Luis Medina got the start for the Athletics and went five innings, giving up four earned runs.
Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton each had three hits and two RBIs for the Twins’ offense. Austin Martin also had a two-hit game and drove in a run. Tyler Soderstrom was the only Athletics hitter to have more than one hit.
The Athletics are looking to snap a six-game losing streak today, and they are 26-45 overall, putting them 5th in the AL West. Currently, they trail the Mariners by 14 games in the division. So far, they have gone just 6-14 in divisional games.
At home, the Athletics are 15-20 this year, and they are 11-25 on the road. Oakland has really struggled as the underdog this year, coming in with a mark of 20-43 when not favored. As for their record as the favorite, they are 6-2 this year. The team’s overall series record is 7-14-1, and they have dropped six straight series.
The A’s have been a solid run-line bet this season, going 34-37 overall. They are 18-18 on the road, where they have a run differential of -1.6 runs per game. They are 32-31 as an underdog, but just 2-6 as a favorite.
The Oakland Athletics are on the road against the Minnesota Twins today. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is slightly higher than their combined run average of 8.3 runs per game. The A’s have gone over the total in 30 of their 69 games this season, and their average over/under line is 8 runs per game. When the line has been set at 8.5 runs, they have gone over the total in 7 of 19 games. So far this season, only 8.5% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Mitch Spence Gets The Start For The Athletics
The Athletics are sending Mitch Spence to the mound today as he faces the Twins on the road. So far this season, Spence has made five starts and 16 total appearances. He comes into the game with a record of 4-3 and an ERA of 3.68. Looking at his numbers, Spence has a WHIP of 1.15 and has issued just 2.28 walks per nine innings compared to 7.01 strikeouts. Spence’s last outing came against the Blue Jays, where he went seven innings, giving up two earned runs, and finished with a no-decision. Before that, he had won two straight starts.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Athletics are batting just .220 this season, which is 21st in the league. They are also near the bottom of the league in runs per game (3.5), on-base percentage, and slugging. However, they have been good at avoiding strikeouts and are 5th in the league in home runs. Oakland’s team on-base percentage is just .290.
Brent Rooker has been a bright spot for the Athletics this season, as he is 8th in the league with 13 home runs and is batting .258. Rooker is also 12th in the league with 40 RBIs. Catcher Shea Langeliers is 9th in the league with 12 homers but has struggled with a batting average of just .204. Over his last nine games, Tyler Soderstrom has gone 8/25 with three homers, and JJ Bleday has gone 9/39 in his last 10 games.
Minnesota is 37-32 overall, and they are 7.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central. The Twins closed out their series vs. the Royals with a win and took game one vs. the Athletics, so they have won two straight. This season, they have gone 15-11 in AL Central play.
At home, the Twins are 19-14 this season compared to an 18-18 mark on the road. As the favorite, the Twins are 28-16 this season and 9-16 as the underdog. Minnesota’s overall series record is 12-8-2, and they are 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Minnesota has been a tough team to bet on this season, as they are just 32-37 against the run line. They have been slightly better at home, going 14-19 against the run line, but overall their run differential is just +0.1 runs per game. They are currently on a two-game run line winning streak at home and have gone 20-24 against the run line as the favorite this season.
Minnesota’s games have averaged 9.0 runs per game this season, but their over/under record is 30-37. Their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs, but when the line has been set at 8.5, they have gone over just 8 times in 21 games. Only 10.1% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8.5 runs or higher.
Simeon Woods Richardson Gets The Start For The Twins
Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Athletics at home. Through 10 starts, he has a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 2.84. Looking at his overall numbers, Woods Richardson has made three quality starts and is averaging 7.46 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he took the loss, going 6 1/3 innings and giving up one earned run on six hits. Before that, he had given up at least two homers in three straight starts. The right-hander has been much better at home, with an ERA of 2.40 compared to 3.38 on the road.
Twins Offense Breakdown
Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers have been the Twins’ top power threats this season, as Santana’s 10 homers is 2nd on the team and Jeffers’ 12 home runs leads the club and is 9th in the league. Jeffers also comes into the game as the Twins’ leader in RBIs, with 36. Jeffers has gone 10/31 in his last eight games, with three homers and six RBIs. Carlos Correa has also been hot of late, going 18/36 in his last nine games.
For the season, the Twins are averaging 4.6 runs per game, which is 9th in the league. They have been slightly better on the road, averaging 4.8 runs per contest. Overall, they are 8th in home runs and have the league’s 4th best isolated power figure.
Athletics vs Twins Prediction
Our prediction for the Twins vs. Athletics matchup is to take the Twins to win at home, with our predicted final score being 5-4. However, with the Twins being -176 on the money line, we actually prefer to take the over at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Mitch Spence lasting just two innings and finishing with five strikeouts. As for Simeon Woods Richardson, we have him going six innings and also finishing with five K’s.
Offensively, we have the Twins finishing with nine total hits compared to the Athletics with eight.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:June 14, 2024 Athletics, Twins