That gap makes some sense on paper — the Twins added bullpen arms at the deadline while Oakland has been selling off healthy bodies to injury all summer — but the win-loss column only tells part of the story. Minnesota walks in having dropped 3 straight, and this Athletics club just took 2 of 3 from Houston.
The Twins' slide came against a genuinely good San Diego team, and Byron Buxton is back from his own hip injury to try to steady a lineup that scored 8 combined runs across those 3 losses. Minnesota surprised everyone by buying at the deadline — bringing in A.J. Minter, Dean Kremer and Jeff Hoffman to reinforce a bullpen for a playoff push nobody saw coming a month ago — and that's the club they're trying to be again after a rough week.
Oakland's issues run deeper than one shortstop. Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom and Denzel Clarke are all out for the year, and the bullpen has bled arms too, with Justin Sterner, Mark Leiter Jr. and Brooks Kriske among the relievers already lost to injury. Still, this is a team with nothing left to play for and house money to burn, and clubs like that have a way of playing loose against opponents fighting for something.
Sacramento's summer heat has turned Sutter Health Park into a launching pad more often than not, which only adds another layer to a matchup between two shaky rotations. Minnesota needs this one more than the standings will admit — every game left on the schedule does.