The Minnesota Twins head to Petco Park on Sunday, August 23, 2026 for a 4:10 PM ET matchup against the San Diego Padres. Bailey Ober gets the start for Minnesota against right-hander Walker Buehler. This is a regular season contest with real standing implications, and the Twins will need a clean outing from Ober to come away with a road victory against a Padres club playing in front of its home crowd in one of the better pitcher's parks in the National League.
Pitching Matchup: Bailey Ober vs. Walker Buehler
Bailey Ober has been one of the more quietly reliable arms in the Minnesota rotation. The big right-hander relies on his plus changeup and above-average command to work through lineups, and a venue like Petco Park — spacious, marine-layer cooled, and historically suppressive of offense — suits his profile. If Ober can keep the Padres off the bases and limit crooked numbers early, the Twins offense will have a chance to do damage.
Walker Buehler is no stranger to big moments. The former Dodger has experience pitching on large stages, and now he brings that pedigree to San Diego. Buehler's ability to generate weak contact and miss bats makes him a genuine threat to keep Minnesota's lineup quiet. The Twins will need to work counts early and look for pitches to drive rather than expanding the zone against a pitcher who can be deceptive with his sequencing.
Keys to Watch for the Twins
- Ober's command early: Ober is most effective when he establishes his changeup and keeps hitters off his fastball. If he falls behind in counts at Petco, the Padres lineup has enough professional hitters to make him pay.
- Plate discipline against Buehler: Minnesota's offense needs to resist chasing. Buehler can expand the zone effectively. Twins hitters who work deep into counts give the lineup its best chance to get into the bullpen.
- Bullpen readiness: Road games against quality opponents often come down to the sixth and seventh innings. How Minnesota's relief corps performs out of the pen could determine the final result as much as the starter matchup.
- Capitalizing on traffic: In a low-scoring environment like Petco Park, the Twins cannot afford to strand baserunners. Situational hitting — moving runners over, driving the ball to the right side — will be at a premium.
Prediction
This shapes up as a pitcher's duel, and Petco Park only reinforces that. Both Ober and Buehler are capable of carrying a game deep. The Twins steal this one if Ober can deliver six solid innings and the offense scratches out a pair of runs against Buehler before the Padres bullpen enters the picture. Minnesota has shown it can grind out wins on the road, and a clean, disciplined effort Sunday gives the Twins a real shot. Edge: Twins 3, Padres 2.
Catch the game on Twins.TV Presented by Progressive, or listen locally on WCCO 830 AM and KWFN 97.3 FM.
