Minnesota Twins at Athletics: Final Score & Recap

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Oakland Athletics 9-6 on August 24, 2026, at Sutter Health Park, with the DiamondIQ model's estimate entering the game giving the home side a 44 percent chance of winning — a figure that eroded entirely by the final out. Minnesota generated 16 hits against no errors while holding Oakland to 12 hits and no errors of their own, building leads methodically before pulling away in the decisive innings.

The swing in win probability that most defined the game came in the top of the fifth, when Ryan Kreidler launched a home run off Jeffrey Springs that shifted the win probability by plus 11.2 percent in Minnesota's favor, the single largest WPA play of the contest. Kody Clemens added to the damage in that same inning with a single off Springs worth another plus 7.0 percent. Oakland had its best moment in the bottom of the third, when Lawrence Butler's single off Zebby Matthews moved the needle plus 9.0 percent toward the Athletics, but Zack Gelof immediately wiped most of that away by grounding into a double play, a swing of minus 8.1 percent. A Tommy White lineout in the bottom of the ninth, worth plus 6.3 percent as Oakland staged a four-run rally that fell short, underscored how late and ultimately insufficient that push proved to be.

Among individual performers, Zebby Matthews led all pitchers with a plus 15.2 percent WPA, anchoring the Twins' staff effort despite absorbing that third-inning threat. On the offensive side, Kreidler finished as the top batter at plus 12.9 percent WPA and plus 0.8 RE24, while Lawrence Butler paced Oakland at plus 8.8 percent WPA and a team-best plus 2.7 RE24. Byron Buxton contributed plus 7.3 percent WPA for Minnesota, rounding out the standout performers in a game that the DiamondIQ model heavily favored Minnesota to control once the fifth inning concluded.