A’s vs. Twins game thread

As the Oakland A’s embark on their final road trip of the season, they’re looking to end on a positive note and get their September record back to .500. After starting 7-5 in the first two weeks of the month, they’ve stumbled to a horrid 2-8 since then. That puts them at 9-13 for September, meaning they’ll have to go 5-1 in the last six games to get back to an even 14-14 record.

That work begins tonight as the A’s start a three-game series against the recently minted AL Central Champions, the Minnesota Twins. For game 1, A’s rotation leader Paul Blackburn will be facing off against the Twins’ third-year starter Bailey Ober, who’s pitched effectively to a 3.66 ERA/4.18 FIP. Since there are six games left in the season, this could either be Blackburn’s last or second-last start of the season. With the A’s acquiring a lot of young starting options the past couple of years and 5+ pitchers competing for rotation spots next season, this could be his last start in an A’s uniform if he’s traded in the offseason.

To help him and the team get a win, the A’s will be rolling out the following nine:

Meanwhile, the Twins are still dealing with injuries to multiple stars — Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, etc. — so they’ll have this lineup on the field tonight: