Injury Report for Athletics vs Twins – Thursday, August 21st, 2025

Athletics

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Minnesota Twins

As the Minnesota Twins prepare to host the Oakland Athletics at Target Field on August 21, 2025, both teams find themselves in a similar position with below-average records. The Twins sit at 58-68, while the Athletics are slightly behind at 58-70. Neither team is in contention for a playoff spot, adding a layer of urgency to capitalize on any opportunities to build momentum.

In their previous matchup, the Athletics edged out the Twins, marking the second game in this series. With the stakes high and both teams looking to rebound, the pitching matchup features Minnesota’s Jose Urena against Oakland’s Jack Perkins. Urena has struggled this season, ranking as the 304th best starting pitcher in MLB according to advanced-stat Power Rankings, while Perkins has been much more effective, sitting at 46th. Urena’s projected performance indicates he may struggle, with an average of 3.2 earned runs allowed over 5.0 innings, while Perkins is projected to allow just 2.6 earned runs in the same span.

When looking at offensive capabilities, the Athletics boast the 5th best offense in MLB, significantly outpacing the Twins, who rank 22nd. This discrepancy is further emphasized by the recent performance of each team’s best hitters. Over the last week, the Athletics’ top player has recorded a remarkable .529 batting average with a 1.739 OPS, while the Twins’ best hitter, despite strong numbers, falls short in comparison.

With a high Game Total of 9.5 runs, the projections favor a competitive game, and the Twins hold a high implied team total of 4.75 runs. Given the current odds, this matchup presents a compelling storyline for bettors looking for value, especially considering the disparity in offensive production and the effectiveness of the starting pitchers.

Athletics Insights

• Jack Perkins – Over/Under 5.5 Strikeouts (+125/-160)
  Jackson Perkins’s high usage percentage of his secondary pitches (61% since the start of last season) ought to work in his favor since they are typically much more effective than fastballs.
  Explain: A pitcher who limits has fastball usage will instead heavily use change-ups, curveballs, sliders, etc. These are far more effective pitches at preventing runs and generating strikeouts.
• Nick Kurtz – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (-135/+105)
  Nicholas Kurtz has a ton of pop (98th percentile) if he makes contact, but that’s always far from assured (30.3% K%). Today, however, opposing pitcher Jose Urena is a pitch-to-contact type (9th percentile K%) — great news for Kurtz.
  Explain: If he is less likely to strikeout, he’ll be more likely to make contact, which is often hard, home-run contact.
• Athletics – 2H Moneyline
  The Athletics bullpen ranks as the worst in MLB, per the leading projection system (THE BAT).
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a weak bullpen sneakily creates an easier matchup for the opposing offense and boosts a game’s runs.

Minnesota Twins Insights

• Jose Urena – Over/Under 3.5 Strikeouts (+120/-155)
  Jose Urena’s 95.7-mph fastball velocity since the start of last season ranks in the 89th percentile among all starters.
  Explain: Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs.
• Austin Martin – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-160/+125)
  There has been a decrease in Austin Martin’s average exit velocity this season, from 87.2 mph last year to 81.5 mph now
  Explain: Hitting the ball hard increases the chances of either a home run or the ball landing in fair territory for a hit before a fielder can get to it.
• Kody Clemens – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+120/-150)
  Kody Clemens hits many of his flyballs to center field (39.6% — 95th percentile) and has the misfortune of hitting them towards MLB’s 10th-deepest CF fences in today’s matchup.
  Explain: This player’s skill set does not match up particularly well with the park he’s in today, which may lead to worse-than-usual performance.

Betting Trends

• Minnesota Twins – Over/Under 2.5 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total (+110/-140)
  The Minnesota Twins have hit the 1st Five Innings (F5) Team Total Under in 38 of their last 60 games (+11.85 Units / 16% ROI)
• Athletics – Moneyline (-115)
  The Athletics have hit the Moneyline in 35 of their last 66 games (+10.40 Units / 15% ROI)
• Royce Lewis – Over/Under 0.5 Runs (+120/-150)
  Royce Lewis has hit the Runs Under in 16 of his last 20 games (+8.80 Units / 24% ROI)