Twins beat Athletics 9-6 in West Sacramento

The Minnesota Twins defeated the Oakland Athletics 9-6 in West Sacramento to open a three-game series, snapping a three-game skid. Zebby Matthews worked seven innings of one-run ball to earn the win, while Josh Bell drove in three runs and Byron Buxton collected three hits and scored four times. Rookie Kaelen Culpepper matched a career-best with four hits, and Ryan Kreidler homered as Minnesota piled up 16 hits. The Twins extended their lead with four runs in the fourth and three more in the sixth, and Bell added a sacrifice fly for another RBI in the sixth. Oakland starter Jeffrey Springs lasted 4 2/3 innings, and the A’s bullpen struggled as Minnesota’s offense continued to click while the Athletics staged a late ninth-inning rally that produced four runs. The win underscores Minnesota’s balanced scoring in August, with sustained contributions from Bell, Buxton, and Kreidler to back Matthews’s solid start.