The Minnesota Twins came into Thursday’s matinee desperate to avoid a sweep against the cellar-dwelling Oakland West Sacramento Athletics. Instead, they fell flat, undone by one disastrous inning and a sputtering offense in an 8–3 loss at Target Field.

The A’s built a big lead with a three-run fourth inning, and the Twins couldn’t rally despite home runs from Brooks Lee and Ryan Jeffers.

It’s Thursday, August 21 and the Athletics (58-70) are in Minneapolis to take on the Twins (58-68). Jack Perkins is slated to take the mound for Oakland against José Ureña for Minnesota.

SportsLine's model simulated Athletics vs. Minnesota 10,000 times and revealed its MLB picks for Thursday afternoon's matchup at Target Field in Minneapolis

Preview the Aug. 19 matchup between the Minnesota Twins and Athletics with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.

An influx of talented arms would be a welcome sight for the struggling Twins, who dropped six of seven contests during their homestand.

In a 4-2 loss to the Athletics on Wednesday night, the lasting image might be Twins reliever Génesis Cabrera punching his glove after giving up a go-ahead, two-run homer to Shea Langeliers to begin the 10th inning.

Preview the Aug. 19 matchup between the Minnesota Twins and Athletics with recent trends, how to watch, livestream info, and more.