Athletics @ Twins

Who will WIN this matchup?

Oakland Athletics (57-42)

@ Minnesota Twins (59-38)

Starting Pitchers:

Mengden (OAK): 5-1; 4.21 ERA

Pineda (MIN) 6-5; 4.38 ERA

Last 10 Games Played:

Oakland Athletics: 8-2

Minnesota Twins: 4-6

Current odds:

Oakland Athletics: (+120)

Minnesota Twins: (-130)

• The Oakland Athletics have a tough act to follow when they visit the Minnesota Twins on Sunday for the finale of their four-game series. Oakland rallied to edge Minnesota 5-4 on Saturday for its 16th win in 20 overall contests and fourth in its last six meetings with the Twins. The Athletics, who scored three runs in the seventh inning to erase a 2-0 deficit but allowed two in the bottom of the frame to make their lead short-lived, staged a two-out, two-run rally in the ninth and escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half to pull even with Cleveland for the top wild-card spot in the American League. Mark Canha was hit by a pitch with two outs and Ramon Laureano followed with a double before Khris Davis plated both of them with a single, giving him five RBIs over the first three games of the series. Canha and Laureano belted back-to-back homers in the seventh while Matt Olson delivered a bunt single in the first to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.

• Mitch Garver, Nelson Cruz and Miguel Sano went deep for the Twins, who increased their major league-leading homer total to 181 but remained three games ahead of the Indians in the AL Central after losing for the fifth time in six contests.

• Mengden has gone 5-0 in six starts since losing to Cleveland in his season debut, allowing fewer than two runs in four of the outings and more than three just once. That occasion came in his first career turn against Minnesota on July 2, when the 26-year-old Texan picked up the victory despite yielding five runs and eight hits in 5 2/3 innings. Mengden has won each of his last four starts, including back-to-back triumphs over Seattle in which he gave up four runs and 10 hits over 12 1/3 total frames.

• Pineda has turned things around after ending April in rough fashion, permitting three earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 12 starts. The 30-year-old Dominican has given up one earned run in five of his last six outings, including a loss to the New York Mets on Tuesday in which he also yielded two unearned runs over six innings. Pineda has fared well against Oakland in his career, going 4-1 with a 2.75 ERA in six turns.

• Athletics All-Star 3B Matt Chapman (ankle) made his first start of the series on Saturday, going 0-for-4 with a walk, while Twins 2B Jonathan Schoop (abdomen) went 1-for-3 with an RBI while doing the same.

• Minnesota parted ways with two pitchers that recently were designated for assignment, as RHP Mike Morin was traded to Philadelphia for cash considerations while LHP Adalberto Mejia was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Angels.

• Laureano has recorded five consecutive multi-hit performances during his six-game hitting streak, including a trio of three-hit efforts, and scored at least one run in 11 straight contests while Canha has hit safely in 11 of his 13 games this month.