Oakland @ Minnesota preview
Target Field
Last Meeting ( Sep 28, 2023 ) Oakland 2, Minnesota 1
The Minnesota Twins will look to ride the momentum of a sterling offensive performance when they open a four-game series against the Oakland Athletics on Thursday in Minneapolis.
Carlos Correa collected a career-high five of the Twins' 24 hits in the team's 19-7 victory over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Wednesday afternoon. The hit total was Minnesota's highest in a game since June 13, 2017, when the Twins rolled up 28 in a 20-7 romp over the Seattle Mariners.
"Let's do it again (Thursday)," Royce Lewis said, per the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "I want 28. Let's beat the (team) record. We had a great day today. That was fun."
Lewis and Willi Castro each homered and joined Carlos Santana and Kyle Farmer with three-hit performances on Wednesday to help the Twins claim their third win in four outings. Santana drove in four runs for Minnesota, which saw every member of its starting lineup record at least one hit and one RBI.
"This is the type of day that I think a lot of guys remember," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "You had a lot of guys have a lot of highlight swings and highlight collection of at-bats. ... A lot of very positive young men leaving the ballpark today. Nice series win."
Correa is a staggering 15-for-29 (.517) with one homer, six RBIs and six runs over his past seven games. Santana has 11 hits -- including three doubles and two homers -- and 10 RBIs over his past eight contests.
Keeping Correa, Santana and company in check is the task of Oakland's Luis Medina (0-1, 5.23 ERA) on Thursday. Medina will be opposed by Minnesota's Joe Ryan (4-5, 3.30) in a battle of right-handers.
Medina, 25, had a disappointing performance on Saturday in his second start since coming off the injured list. He allowed six runs on five hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings during a 7-0 setback to the Toronto Blue Jays.
"It's part of the development," Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. "These young pitchers can come out and throw a game like he did in Atlanta where he was crisp and pounding the zone with all his pitches for strikes. (On Saturday), he came out fighting his command and not confident out there with his ability to land and execute pitches."
Medina fared well in his lone career encounter against the Twins. He yielded one run on three hits in six innings of a no-decision on Sept. 28, 2023.
Ryan, 28, answered a difficult start with a superb one on Friday, though he settled for his second straight loss. He allowed two runs on two hits and struck eight batters over seven innings in a 3-0 setback to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Ryan did not receive a decision in his lone matchup against the Athletics. He allowed three runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings on July 16, 2023.
Oakland will look to rebound after squandering a two-run lead in the eighth inning in a 5-4 setback to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. The Athletics struck out 18 times en route to dropping their fifth straight game and taking their 11th defeat in the past 14 contests.
--Field Level Media