The Athletics turned an early deficit into another statement win Wednesday night, defeating the Minnesota Twins 7–4 to claim the three-game series and continue their recent resurgence.
Minnesota looked in control through the opening innings after jumping out to a 3–0 lead, but Oakland’s offense steadily chipped away before taking over in the sixth. The victory gave the Athletics four wins in their last five games, while the Twins slipped further behind in the American League Wild Card race.
Early power puts Minnesota ahead
The Twins wasted little time building momentum. Brooks Lee opened the scoring with a first-inning home run, and Trevor Larnach and Kaelen Culpepper followed with back-to-back blasts in the second to stretch the lead to 3–0.
Oakland finally answered in the fourth. Michael Stefanic drove in the Athletics’ first run with a double, and Brian Serven added another on a groundout, cutting the deficit to one and shifting the game’s energy.
Sixth inning changes everything
Minnesota briefly regained breathing room when Royce Lewis lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth, making it 4–2. That advantage disappeared within minutes.
After Jonah Heim reached base, the Athletics strung together one quality at-bat after another. Tommy White singled, Jeff McNeil delivered a run-scoring double off the bench, and Alika Williams cleared the bases with a two-run triple into the gap to give Oakland its first lead of the night. Darell Hernaiz followed with an RBI single to cap a four-run inning.
Lawrence Butler added the final touch in the seventh, launching a solo homer that extended the margin to 7–4 and gave the Athletics enough cushion to close out the game.
White leads balanced offensive effort
Tommy White finished with three hits and played a key role in the comeback, while Williams and Butler supplied the biggest extra-base blows. Every run after the third inning came from disciplined situational hitting rather than relying solely on home-run power.
On the mound, J.T. Ginn settled in after the shaky start, allowing four runs across six innings to earn his ninth victory of the season. Elvis Alvarado handled the ninth inning without allowing a run, collecting his fifth save.
For Minnesota, rookie left-hander Connor Prielipp kept the Athletics quiet for much of his outing before Oakland broke through after his departure. The loss dropped the Twins to 64–70 and left them facing increasingly slim postseason odds.
What’s next
The Athletics head to Baltimore for a three-game road series beginning Friday, while the Twins return home to open a weekend matchup against the Chicago White Sox as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive.
