Twins beat Athletics behind Culpepper's four hits
The Twins beat the Athletics 9-6 on August 24 behind Kaelen Culpepper's first career four-hit game, but Minnesota is still 2.0 games back of a wild card spot at 64-68.
Culpepper's first four-hit game powers a road win
Athletics9-6The Twins beat the Athletics 9-6 on August 24, improving to 64-68 and going 2-3 in their last five games. Josh Bell drove in three runs, going 1-for-3 with a double, and Ryan Kreidler added a home run and an RBI on a 1-for-4 night. Byron Buxton went 3-for-5 with a double.
Kaelen Culpepper went 4-for-5 with an RBI, and the club noted it was the first four-hit game of his career. Zebby Matthews carried the win on the mound, throwing 7.0 innings and allowing just one earned run on six hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Two games back with the Blue Jays for company
| AL Wild Card | W | L | Pct | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Yankees | 74 | 56 | .569 | +9.0 |
 Red Sox | 72 | 59 | .550 | +6.5 |
 Guardians | 66 | 66 | .500 | — |
 Astros | 65 | 66 | .496 | 0.5 |
 Twins | 64 | 68 | .485 | 2.0 |
 Blue Jays | 64 | 68 | .485 | 2.0 |
 Orioles | 63 | 68 | .481 | 2.5 |
 Mariners | 63 | 69 | .477 | 3.0 |
Minnesota sits 2.0 games back in the AL Wild Card race at 64-68, with an elimination number of 27. The Blue Jays are tied with the Twins at 64-68 and the same 2.0 games back, while the Astros hold the closest safe cushion at 65-66, 0.5 games back.
The Guardians occupy the last guaranteed spot at 66-66, with the Yankees out front at 74-56 and the Red Sox next at 72-59. The Orioles (63-68, 2.5 back) and Mariners (63-69, 3.0 back) are also within range.
Kendry Rojas lands on the IL
The Twins placed Kendry Rojas on the injured list with an oblique strain, per MLB Trade Rumors, and the outlet noted the club lost a Triple-A depth starter for potentially the rest of the season. Minnesota moved to shore up the bullpen by signing Ron Marinaccio to a minor league deal, per MLB Trade Rumors.
Joe Ryan, still on the 15-day IL, will throw a live bullpen session of one inning Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Upcoming
Minnesota sends Connor Prielipp (3-7, 5.57 ERA) to the mound tonight at the Athletics. Prielipp took the loss in his last start against the Padres on August 21, allowing 6 earned runs on 8 hits over 6.0 innings with 7 strikeouts and 2 walks across 96 pitches. Oakland counters with J.T. Ginn (8-8, 3.60 ERA), who was also tagged with a loss in his last outing against the Astros on August 21, giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits in 5.0 innings with 4 strikeouts and 2 walks over 94 pitches.
Both starters are coming off losses and neither was especially sharp his last time out, which lines up with a market that expects the scoring to run high tonight. The Twins are favored to take the opener, and if that price holds, Minnesota's bats will need to keep producing the way they did against Oakland's staff the night before.