Minnesota Twins Entering a Trap Series Against the A's?

The Minnesota Twins are headed to West Sacramento to take on the Athletics for four games this week, and in taking a quick gander, they may be the Texas Rangers dressed up in an AL Central overcoat. The A's are 5-2 against the Rangers on the season, but those games were also played before the green and gold had dropped 21 of their last 24 games.

In that quick look, the Twins pitching staff has been nearly twice as good as the A's, giving up just 203 runs this season, which ranks No. 3 in the American League. The Kansas City Royals (201) and Rangers (201) are tied for first. Meanwhile, the A's have given up 363 runs this year, easily the worst mark in the AL with just four teams in baseball surpassing 300 runs allowed to date.

The A's have scored more runs, however, plating 253 through the first two months, while Minnesota has put up a comparable 233. If the A's were humming along, this may be a series in which they could compete pretty well against a tough AL opponent, but the way things are going right now, a split would be a miracle.

On April 20, the Twins sat at just 7-15, and by the end of the month they had improved to 13-18. In May, they went 18-8, though they have lost their past two against the Seattle Mariners, and have gone 4-6 in their past ten.

There was a point in time that everyone wanted to face the Twins, then they got hot. Right now, everyone wants to face the Athletics, and at some point the fever will break and the wins will begin to roll in more frequently than perhaps once a week.

The A's have yet to announce their full rotation for this series, aside from Monday's opener, which will see Luis Severino on the bump. At home, the veteran righty holds a 6.20 ERA, though in his last home outing against the Los Angeles Angels, he went six innings and gave up just two earned runs. On a normal day, that may be enough to collect a win for the green and gold.

Unfortunately, the Twins are sending out Joe Ryan, who holds a 2.57 ERA and a 3.7% walk rate. If the A's are going to score some runs in this one, they're not going to get help from the righty. He's given up as many as three runs once in his past six starts. That stretch includes two shutout performances, and three one-run affairs.

The rest of the series is tricky to project just because we don't know for certain who will be pitching for the A's. Tuesday's starter is really the main question, with Jacob Lopez having a terrific outing against the Philadelphia Phillies two starts ago, then getting blown up by the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. He's seemingly been in the rotation on a start-by-start basis.

The A's may look to switch that spot in the rotation with someone not currently on the 40-man roster. Jack Perkins has a 4.23 ERA in six Triple-A starts this season, along with a 1.12 WHIP. He wouldn't be a bad option. The exciting option would be Luis Morales, who was recently promoted to Las Vegas, but it's still too early for him to make his MLB debut given his lack of experience in the upper minors.

No matter who is on the mound for the A's, they'll be facing Pablo López (4-3, 2.75 ERA) on Tuesday. While the A's haven't announced who will start on Wednesday or Thursday, it would seem fairly safe to say that Jeffrey Springs (5-4, 4.72) will stay on turn for Wednesday, while Gunnar Hoglund (1-3, 6.40) will get the ball in the finale.

Since May 18, the Athletics have three of the top-16 bats in baseball in Lawrence Butler, Jacob Wilson, and Brent Rooker. The trio holds wRC+ of 202, 200, and 197, with 100 being league average. It's also a testament to how bad the pitching staff has performed that the A's have one win since that date while their boppers have been bopping.

Kody Clemens has been the best Twins bat in that same span, putting up a 144 wRC+, batting .242 with a .306 OBP and a pair of home runs.

On paper, the Twins sure seem to have the advantage with their terrific pitching staff, but the A's offense is their calling card. There is a chance to grab an ugly win in this series, and potentially even a solid start from someone that could help get this team back on track.

As Twins fans have seen already this season, it's not who you play, but when you play them. The A's are due for a breakout series, and the Twins are next on the schedule.