Twins host Athletics after Culpepper 4-hit effort

Kaelen Culpepper delivered four hits as the Minnesota Twins beat the Oakland Athletics 9-6 on Monday, setting up the teams meeting again Tuesday night in West Sacramento, California. The matchup pairs Minnesota and Oakland records of 64-68 and 51-81, respectively.

Minnesota entered the game positioned third in the AL Central, while Oakland sat fifth in the AL West and carried a 23-41 home record. The Twins led the season series 3-1 before their fifth meeting of the year.

According to ABC7 News, Tuesday’s probable starters were Taj Bradley for the Twins and Gage Jump for the Athletics. Bradley came in with a 9-5 record, 3.90 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 158 strikeouts, while Jump had 5-8, 4.83 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 88 strikeouts.

ABC7 News also listed the betting line as Twins -152 and Athletics +127, with an over under of 9 1/2 runs, as the Athletics aimed to rebound after being outscored across recent games.

Culpepper’s Monday performance was a 4-for-5 showing with a run scored and one RBI against the Athletics, raising his average to .340 early in his big league at-bats, according to NBC Sports.

NBC Sports reported that Culpepper, a 2024 first-year call-up, had been delayed earlier in the season by hip and glute injuries that cost him about half of June and most of July. After getting regular action, he hit .340/.382/.480 with two home runs in 55 plate appearances.

Beyond immediate form, NBC Sports noted Culpepper was the 21st overall pick in 2024 and had produced .271/.367/.478 with 14 homers and 17 steals in 74 games for Triple-A St. Paul.

For roster context, ABC7 News cited injuries affecting both teams, including Twins sidelining Joe Ryan, Austin Martin, Mike Paredes and others, while the Athletics list included Denzel Clarke, Jacob Wilson, and multiple additional injured players.