Oakland @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 24, 2018 ) Oakland 7, Minnesota 1

Matt Chapman has been a major offensive threat since the All-Star break and hopes to continue that trend when his Oakland Athletics visit the Minnesota Twins on Saturday for the third of a four-game set. Chapman belted a three-run shot to help Oakland post a 7-1 victory Friday night and is batting .326 with 25 extra-base hits, including eight homers, since the Midsummer Classic.

Khris Davis, who has gone deep a major league-high 39 times, was held in check Friday, but the Athletics launched three homers to push their franchise total to 12,999 heading into Saturday’s matchup. Oakland (77-52), which holds down the second wild-card spot in the American League and sits 1 1/2 games behind first-place Houston in the AL West, will try to record their milestone round-tripper Saturday against rookie Stephen Gonsalves while countering with veteran right-hander Mike Fiers. Minnesota lost for just the fourth time in 11 games Friday, dropping to 39-27 at home, after taking the series opener 6-4 on Thursday. Former MVP Joe Mauer passed Hall of Famer Rod Carew for second on the Twins’ all-time list with his 2,086th hit Friday and is one run from becoming the third Twin to score 1,000 in his career.

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Oakland), FS North (Minnesota)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Athletics RH Mike Fiers (9-6, 3.21 ERA) vs. Twins LH Stephen Gonsalves (0-1, 27.00)

Fiers limited Texas to one hit and one walk with eight strikeouts over seven scoreless innings in his second victory among three starts since being acquired from Detroit. The 33-year-old Floridian has given up three runs on 11 hits and a walk overall with 21 strikeouts across 18 1/3 innings during his tenure with the Athletics. Ehire Adrianza is 3-for-6 with a homer versus Fiers, who is 5-1 with a 3.06 ERA lifetime against Minnesota.

Gonsalves was pounded for four runs on six hits and two walks while retiring just four batters in his major-league debut Monday against the Chicago White Sox. The 24-year-old Californian, who was picked in the fourth round of the 2013 draft, gave up all the runs in the second inning of his first start. Gonsalves is 12-3 with a 2.76 ERA in 23 appearances (22 starts) at Triple-A and Double-A in 2018 with 120 strikeouts in 120 2/3 frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Twins recalled INF/C Willians Astudillo was recalled Friday from Triple-A Rochester after C Bobby Wilson (ankle) went on the 10-day disabled list.

2. Oakland C Jonathan Lucroy is 41-for-122 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 35 career games against the Twins.

3. Minnesota 3B/DH Miguel Sano is 0-for-17 with nine strikeouts in the last five games but had a sacrifice fly Friday.

PREDICTION: Athletics 7, Twins 3