Twins vs Athletics Picks and Betting Odds – 6/2/2025

Minnesota Twins

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Athletics

On June 2, 2025, the Oakland Athletics will host the Minnesota Twins at Sutter Health Park in a matchup that showcases a struggling squad against a team with some momentum. The Athletics currently sit at 23-37, clearly facing a tough season, while the Twins boast a record of 31-27, positioning themselves above average in the standings. This game marks the first in the series between these two teams, adding a layer of intrigue as they look to establish dominance.

In their last outing, the Twins secured a victory that highlighted their offensive capabilities, which, despite ranking 20th in MLB this season, have shown flashes of potential. The Athletics, however, have a much stronger offensive pedigree, ranking 7th in both team batting average and home runs. This discrepancy could play a pivotal role, especially with Luis Severino taking the mound for Oakland. While Severino has struggled with a 1-4 record and an average projection for innings pitched, he does have a respectable ERA of 3.89. However, with a Power Rankings rank of 161st, he has been deemed one of the less effective starting pitchers in baseball.

Joe Ryan, projected to start for Minnesota, is a stark contrast. With a 5-2 record and an impressive ERA of 2.57, Ryan ranks 18th in MLB. His ability to generate strikeouts will be crucial against an Athletics offense that ranks 26th in stolen bases, indicating a reliance on power hitting rather than speed on the base paths.

Despite the Athletics’ offensive strength, their bullpen ranks 23rd, while the Twins boast a more reliable 9th-place rank in Power Rankings, suggesting a crucial edge late in the game. With a high Game Total of 9.0 runs set for this matchup, expect plenty of action, making the Twins a compelling bet as they look to extend their winning streak.

Minnesota Twins Insights

• Joe Ryan – Over/Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-125/-105)
  It may come as a surprise, but fastballs are generally a pitcher’s least effective pitch. Joe Ryan has utilized his non-fastballs 10.5% less often this season (35.1%) than he did last season (45.6%).
  Explain: Fastballs are the one easiest pitches to hit and generate few strikeouts, so a pitcher who begins to use his fastball more often will likely be less effective than he used to be.
• Ty France – Over/Under 0.5 Hits (-195/+150)
  Ty France is projected to bat 8th in the lineup in today’s game, which would be a downgrade from his 77% rate of hitting in the top-half of the batting order this year.
  Explain: The lower in the order a player bats, the fewer plate appearances he will get and the fewer opportunities he will get to hit the Over for every market. A player who hits lower in the order than he normally does may provide extra value opportunity since the market may be based on him hitting higher.
• Minnesota Twins – 2H Moneyline
  The Minnesota Twins bullpen profiles as the 10th-best in the league, according to the leading projection system (THE BAT).
  Explain: Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a strong bullpen sneakily creates a tougher matchup for the opposing offense and suppresses a game’s runs.

Athletics Insights

• Luis Severino – Over/Under 4.5 Strikeouts (-130/+100)
  Among all starters, Luis Severino’s fastball velocity of 95.3 mph ranks in the 84th percentile this year.
  Explain: Velocity is a key component to fastball success in generating strikeouts and preventing runs.
• Lawrence Butler – Over/Under 1.5 Total Bases (+115/-145)
  The Minnesota Twins have just 1 same-handed RP in their bullpen, so Lawrence Butler can likely count on holding the platoon advantage against every reliever all game.
  Explain: Hitters perform worse against pitchers of the same handedness (i.e. righty-vs-righty), and being able to avoid those matchups against the bullpen boosts performance and creates hidden edge.
• Luis Urias – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-130/+100)
  Luis Urias pulls many of his flyballs (37% — 95th percentile) but may find it hard to clear the game’s 6th-deepest LF fences in today’s game.
  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

• Over/Under 9.0 Game Total (-110/-110)
  The Athletics have hit the Game Total Over in 17 of their last 24 games (+9.50 Units / 36% ROI)
• Over/Under 9.0 Game Total (-110/-110)
  The Minnesota Twins have hit the Game Total Under in 32 of their last 49 games (+15.60 Units / 29% ROI)
• Christian Vazquez – Over/Under 0.5 Total Bases (-180/+135)
  Christian Vazquez has hit the Total Bases Over in 9 of his last 10 away games (+7.60 Units / 50% ROI)