By Pritish Ganguly

August 25, 2026 • 6:44 AM EDT

Updated 11 days ago

The Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 9-6 in Sacramento on Sunday, August 24, 2026, with Zebby Matthews delivering seven strong innings against an Oakland lineup that is, frankly, a skeleton crew.

Matthews went seven innings, allowed one run on six hits, walked one, and struck out seven. Josh Bell drove in three runs. Kaelen Culpepper went 4-for-5. The Twins led 9-1 before closer Yoendrys Gomez turned the ninth into a five-batter circus, and rookie Andrew Morris had to come in and close the door. That sequence is not just a footnote: it’s one of the two most actionable pieces of information in this recap for anyone betting tomorrow’s game.

The other piece of information is Oakland’s injury list. Nick Kurtz (60-day IL, season-ending thumb) is gone. Brent Rooker (60-day IL, season-ending knee) is gone. Jacob Wilson (10-day IL, shoulder, expected out for the season) is gone. Shea Langeliers (10-day IL, post-meniscectomy, just began hitting and throwing progressions as of August 24) is gone. Tyler Soderstrom (60-day IL, season-ending hip surgery) is gone. Denzel Clarke (60-day IL, hamstring rehab) is gone. Six significant contributors, simultaneously, off an Oakland team that is already 51-81 and 3-7 in their last ten games. The lineup the Athletics are running right now is not a league-average offense with a bad record. It’s a replacement-level collection of callups operating without their best hitters, including their two primary power sources. Any game total line that prices Oakland as a functional offense is built on stale assumptions.

Oakland’s Lineup Is Not What the Odds Board Thinks It Is

Related: Cal Raleigh’s Three-Homer Night Gives Seattle Mariners Bettors a Real Edge Tonight

Kurtz hit 21 home runs before his thumb ended his season. Langeliers posted a .829 OPS and 23 home runs. Rooker was Oakland’s most consistent run producer. Strip all three out of a lineup that was already below average and you’re not looking at an offense that scores four or five runs on a good night: you’re looking at one that scratches together two or three against competent pitching. BDL standings data confirms the A’s have zero playoff probability and are 15 games back in the AL West. This is a team playing out the string with a depleted roster.

The market likely prices tomorrow’s Twins-Athletics game with Minnesota as a moderate favorite, somewhere in the -150 to -170 range on the moneyline given the pitching and lineup gap. That range may actually be too tight. The Twins are 64-68 and two games back of the third wild card spot with what the source recap describes as an incredibly easy September schedule ahead. They have every incentive to win now. Oakland has every incentive to evaluate their depth. Back the Twins moneyline for the rest of this series at whatever price is available, ideally -150 or better.

The game total angle is just as clean. If tomorrow’s line is set at 8 or 8.5, the under deserves serious consideration. Oakland’s neutered lineup should be capped well below four runs against any competent Minnesota arm. The Twins’ run total is the variable: they scored nine runs tonight against this same roster, so they can certainly contribute to an over. But the A’s side of the total is where the edge lives. Fade their run production.

Gomez’s Ninth Inning Changes What You Should Do Tomorrow

Yoendrys Gomez had not pitched in nearly a week when he took the mound with a 9-1 lead in the ninth inning on Sunday. Five batters reached base before Morris bailed him out. BDL injury data shows no injury flag on Gomez, which means the rust was real and usage-based, not health-based. That’s the more concerning signal for bettors: a closer who looked that ragged in a no-pressure situation after extended inactivity is not someone you want to trust in a high-leverage spot tomorrow.

If any save prop or closer availability market exists for tomorrow’s Twins-Athletics game, the lean is to fade Gomez. Whether Rocco Baldelli deploys him at all in a close game, and whether he’s sharp if deployed, are both open questions after that ninth inning. The value is in treating him as compromised until he shows otherwise.

• Key Developments:
• Zebby Matthews threw 7 IP, 1 ER, 7 K against a lineup missing six contributors: his performance looks even more dominant in context, and props built on his next start deserve attention at fair price.
• Josh Bell drove in three runs and is hitting with purpose during Minnesota’s playoff push: his RBI prop for tomorrow’s game is live given Oakland’s likely deployment of back-end pitching.
• Kaelen Culpepper went 4-for-5: a breakout performance against a depleted pitching staff, though less actionable going forward given the quality of opposition.
• Yoendrys Gomez allowed five baserunners in the ninth inning after nearly a week of inactivity: his availability and effectiveness for tomorrow are legitimately compromised; fade any save prop tied to him.
• Oakland’s six-man IL list (Kurtz, Rooker, Wilson, Langeliers, Soderstrom, Clarke) strips the A’s of their primary power: any totals line treating them as a functional offense is stale.
• Minnesota sits 64-68 and two games back of the wild card with an easy September schedule: the Twins have maximum urgency, which increases their moneyline value for the rest of this series.

“We just have to keep winning. Every game matters right now.”Rocco Baldelli, Minnesota Twins manager

My read on this is straightforward: two plays for tomorrow’s Twins-Athletics game. Back the Twins moneyline at -150 or better: the lineup disparity created by Oakland’s injuries is not fully reflected in standard market pricing. And target the under on the game total if it’s set at 8 or 8.5: Oakland’s offense cannot generate runs the way its season-average stats suggest. The one risk factor to monitor is Minnesota’s own rotation uncertainty, with Joe Ryan still on IL and the back of their staff thin. If a bulk reliever is deployed, the Twins’ run prevention could be inconsistent enough to push you toward the Twins run line (-1.5) as the safer play versus the straight moneyline. Check the full current lines and the Minnesota Twins picks page before you confirm the bet.

• Key Takeaways:
• Back the Twins moneyline for the rest of the Oakland series: -150 or better is fair value given the A’s decimated lineup and Minnesota’s playoff urgency.
• Target the under on the Twins-Athletics game total (8 or 8.5): Oakland’s offense without Kurtz, Rooker, Langeliers, Wilson, Soderstrom, and Clarke cannot sustain league-average run production.
• Fade any Yoendrys Gomez save prop for tomorrow: he was visibly rusty after nearly a week off and needed a rookie bailout to close a nine-run lead.
• Monitor Minnesota’s starting pitcher announcement before locking in the run line (-1.5): a back-end arm or bulk reliever increases variance on the Twins’ run prevention side.
• Consider Josh Bell RBI prop for tomorrow: he’s driving in runs during Minnesota’s most urgent stretch, and Oakland’s pitching is as thin as their lineup.
• Oakland moneyline value is effectively zero for the rest of this series: 51-81, 3-7 in the last ten, six starters on IL simultaneously, no playoff probability. There is no edge betting the Athletics.
• Zebby Matthews’ next start strikeout prop deserves a look: seven punchouts in seven innings against a weak lineup, but his stuff was sharp and his line numbers support a fair K total prop at his next outing.

This article was produced with AI assistance by Pritish Ganguly, with editorial standards and betting methodology overseen by Richard Gale (senior gambling industry executive, ThePicks founder), and reviewed by the ThePicks editorial team. All statistics sourced from live BDL API data and verified source material. All betting opinions are those of ThePicks analysts.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/twins-9-6-mostly-back-050445418.html

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