Minnesota @ Oakland preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 19, 2015 ) Minnesota 1, Oakland 14

Both the Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics have big hills to climb in their respective division races, but at least they are going in the right direction entering Monday's opener of a three-game series in Oakland. Following an abysmal 7-25 stretch, the Twins have managed to win four in a row - tying a season high - by riding the power bats of Joe Mauer and Miguel Sano.

Both players homered in each game of a three-game sweep at Seattle, including Sunday's 5-4 triumph. Sano actually has homered in each contest during the winning streak while batting .429 and drawing three walks. The Athletics' run of success is at only two straight victories, but that comes on the heels of a 1-7 stretch and they have dominated the series with Minnesota of late, winning 20 of the last 27 meetings dating back to the middle of the 2012 season. Former Twin Danny Valencia has recorded back-to-back three-hit efforts for Oakland and is batting .325 in 33 games.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, ESPN

PITCHING MATCHUP: Twins RH Ervin Santana (1-3, 4.17 ERA) vs. Athletics RH Kendall Graveman (1-6, 5.36)

Santana has been incredibly inconsistent this month, producing two solid outings and two others in which he failed to get out of the fourth inning. He gave up six runs and a season-high nine hits in 3 2/3 frames of a loss to Kansas City on Tuesday. The 33-year-old is 15-6 with a 2.03 ERA in 29 games (27 starts) against the Athletics and owns an even better 1.93 mark at Oakland.

Graveman is in the midst of a personal five-game losing streak, and the A's have dropped each of his last six starts. He has posted a 7.36 ERA in that stretch and was knocked out after just 4 1/3 innings at Seattle on Tuesday, when he allowed two runs and seven hits. The Mississippi State product, who has registered 11 strikeouts and 11 walks in his last four outings, never has faced the Twins.

WALK-OFFS

1. Mauer needs two hits to tie Kent Hrbek (1,749) for fourth place on Minnesota's all-time list.

2. A's LF/DH Khris Davis is 8-for-19 with two homers and four doubles during his five-game hitting streak.

3. Twins C Kurt Suzuki is day-to-day after experiencing concussion-like symptoms but he was available off the bench Sunday.

PREDICTION: Athletics 6, Twins 5