The Twins got exactly the kind of afternoon they needed, and they got it in a hurry.
Minnesota jumped on the Athletics right away and kept stacking runs in an 11-8 win, building a cushion that proved just enough even after the bullpen made things uncomfortable late. Connor Prielipp, filling in for an ailing Joe Ryan, set the tone with a clean first inning, and the Twins’ bats took it from there.
Austin Martin opened the scoring with a double in the first and came around on a Royce Lewis fielder’s choice. Lewis then stole second, and Kody Clemens sent a ball into the right-center gap, racing to third before the throw got away from A’s third baseman Tommy White. The error was charged to shortstop Alika Williams, and Clemens kept going all the way home for a Little League homer to make it 3-0.
The second inning turned into a mess for the Athletics. With the bases loaded after an Alex Jackson single, a Brooks Lee walk and another walk to Martin, Byron Buxton hit a ball to short that was caught, leading to Lee being doubled off second.
Derek Shelton made the earmuff gesture, and the call was overturned to safe by the corporate umpires in NYC. Before Ryan Jeffers even saw a pitch, Luis Morales balked repeatedly, the chaos produced another run, and an A’s batting coach was ejected.
Jeffers then lined a single that brought in Lee and Martin, pushing the lead to 6-0.
Minnesota added again in the fourth when Ryan Kreidler scored on a throwing error by catcher Jonah Heim on a steal attempt at third. That made it 7-0 and had the game looking lopsided.
The Athletics finally broke through when Nick Kurtz launched a Cole Sands pitch just beyond the reach of Luke Keaschall in center and into the bullpen for a three-run shot in the sixth. Prielipp still gave the Twins what they desperately needed on short notice, finishing with 5.2 innings, two hits, one earned run, one walk and five strikeouts.
The Twins answered right back in the bottom of the sixth. Kreidler doubled, stole third and then scored when Tyler Soderstrom couldn’t hang onto Martin’s lazy fly, with Martin taking third on the error. That made it 8-3.
Even then, the A’s refused to disappear. In the seventh, they loaded the bases off Sands and Tommy Nance immediately walked in a run.
Two more crossed on a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly, and the inning ended only when Kody Clemens made a diving catch in right field. That trimmed the lead to 8-6.
Clemens kept making plays. In the bottom of the seventh, he ended the inning with a nice defensive play, then came up in the next half-inning and ripped a triple before scoring on a Keaschall sacrifice fly. That pushed Minnesota ahead 9-6.
The Twins kept the pressure on in the eighth. Lee singled, Kreidler doubled and Jeffers followed with another single, part of a 13-hit afternoon for Minnesota. That sequence produced two more runs and stretched the lead to 11-6.
Kody Funderburk handled the eighth, and Travis Adams got through the ninth while allowing two runs, but the Twins still closed it out and finally got the win.
Elsewhere in the division, the Chicago White Sox won, but both the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians lost. That leaves the Twins still very much alive and kicking in the AL Central.
In Other News...
Twins Farm System Suddenly Feels In Flux Again
A busy stretch of roster churn hit the Twins minor league side again this week, with the St. Paul Saints making multiple moves and the organization continuing to shuffle pieces as the season rolls on. The Saints transferred right-hander Raul Brito to the Development List, while the Twins also moved on from outfielder Maddux Houghton and right-hander Nick Trabacchi, adding another layer of turnover to a system that has felt especially fluid lately.
There was at least one encouraging note elsewhere in the chain, as Cedar Rapids activated left-hander Ross Dunn from the 60-Day Injured List. But with the Saints, Wind Surge, Kernels, Mighty and FCL Twins all carrying their own recent results and upcoming matchups, the bigger picture is still one of a farm system in motion, with more sorting-out likely before the picture settles. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Be Closing In On A Deadline Pitching Decision
The Twins have spent much of the 2026 season trying to keep their pitching staff intact, and the latest reminder came with David Festas shoulder issue adding to a growing list of arms on the shelf. Even so, Minnesota has managed to stay in the American League race, which has made the front offices deadline calculus a little more complicated than a simple sell-or-buy decision.
With Pablo Lopez, Anthony Banda, Mick Abel and Mike Paredes already among the injured, the club is weighing whether its current depth can survive the stretch run or whether it needs another dependable arm to stabilize the staff. Joe Ryan is expected back Tuesday, but the broader picture is still uncertain enough that the Twins may be forced to look for pitching help before the deadline closes. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Bullpen Just Took A Turn Fans Wont Want To Ignore
Cole Sands latest turn in the Twins bullpen came at an inopportune time, and the club responded by shuffling the relief mix again. After a rough outing in which he got one out and allowed five runs, Sands is back on the injured list, opening the door for Jack Anderson to return from Triple-A St. Paul and take his place on the roster.
Anderson has already given Minnesota a brief look after coming over on waivers from the Boston Red Sox earlier this month, and the Twins will need more stability from that spot as the season moves on. There is also some encouraging news on the position-player side, where prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez has started a rehab assignment following thumb surgery and could still factor into the major league mix later this year. [Read more 🡒]