I have the A's winning 51 percent of simulations making them a strong value bet at +117. Look for the A's to continue to have success on the road in Minnesota behind Mike Fiers who has been pitching well in a tough division.

The A's have won 19 of their last 24 games which have taken them from being a sub-.500 team to being tied for the second wild card. They're mashing the ball and have their best starter Michael Fiers going tonight. The A's have won six of his last seven starts. He's allowed only three earned runs between his last five starts. The Twins have lost three straight. I'm on the A's.

Oakland has won six in a row while Minnesota has lost three straight and its bullpen has failed on multiple nights. The A's can take advantage of the reeling Twins here, and their track record against the AL Central proves they love these Midwest trips -- they're on a 42-10 run against teams from that division. Take the road dog behind Mike Fiers, as the A's look to win for the seventh time in the last eight games that he starts.

Mike Fiers is 9-3 with a 3.61 ERA this season and he is 6-1 with a 2.66 career ERA against the Twins. He has thrown 10 straight quality starts and hasn’t given up more than one earned run in a start since June 11th. Kyle Gibson is 8-4 with a 4.03 ERA this season but he gave up two earned runs in six innings in his only start against the As this season. The Athletics have won six in a row and the Twins have lost a season-high three in a row, take the value in the As.

Thursday two main factors are sure to keep a strong divide in the percentage of Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins bettors. On Wednesday the A's extended their second-best win streak of the season to six games. Meanwhile the Twins suffered their worst loss of the season by giving up a season-high 14 runs to the New York Mets. Look for a different level of play from the Twins off their Wednesday embarrassment led by veteran pitcher Kyle Gibson.

My projections suggest there is a ton of value on the surging Athletics as a road underdog Thursday against the Twins. My simulations see Oakland, which has won five straight, getting the best of this matchup nearly 60 percent of the time, allowing for a major overlay with the plus-money price. Then A's are 6-1 in the last seven outings by Mike Fiers and have won four straight after allowing two or fewer runs in their previous game. The Twins are 1-4 when Kyle Gibson starts at home against winning opponents.