Baseball Preview: Athletics at Twins

MINNEAPOLIS (Interstat) — The Minnesota Twins look to build on a recent surge when they host the Athletics on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. at Target Field.

Minnesota (51-53) has won four of its last six games, including a 3-1, 12-inning victory Thursday at Cleveland. The Twins are three games under .500 but remain within striking distance in the American League Central.

Oakland (43-59) arrives after a 15-5 loss Wednesday at Arizona, its seventh defeat in its last 10 games. The Athletics are 16 games under .500 and have lost four consecutive series.

The forecast calls for 77 degrees with clouds.

Players to watch

Athletics infielder Jeff McNeil is 7-for-20 with two home runs and six RBIs over his last six games, hitting .350 in that span. He went 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI on Wednesday.

Twins right-hander Taj Bradley takes the mound having allowed one earned run in each of his last two starts, spanning 14 innings. He struck out five over seven innings in Thursday’s win at Cleveland.

Projected matchup

The Twins are installed as -1.5 favorites with the over/under set at 10.5 runs. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 5-2 Minnesota victory.

The teams were scoreless in the opener Friday night.

Recent trends

Oakland has dropped five of its last six games, including blowout losses of 15-5 and 23-4 in that stretch. The Athletics’ offense has been inconsistent, scoring two runs or fewer in four of their last 10 contests.

Minnesota, conversely, has seen strong starting pitching. Bradley has three quality starts in his last four outings, posting a 2.42 ERA over 26 innings. The Twins’ bullpen held Cleveland scoreless over five innings Thursday.

What’s next

Following Saturday’s game, the teams conclude their series Sunday. then returns home for a four-game set against Boston, while Minnesota opens a three-game series against Kansas City.