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The Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins will square off on Wednesday night in Minnesota, the final of their three-game series. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Red Sox-Twins prediction and pick we have laid out below.
The Boston Red Sox are ice cold lately, losing three in a row and digging themselves into a hole in last place of the Al East at 62-68. Trailing the division-leading Yankees by 17 games, the playoffs are a pretty distant hope for Boston with just over a month remaining.
The Minnesota Twins are in the complete opposite position as Boston, winners of five in a row. Minnesota is now in second place in the AL Central at 67-61, one and a half games behind Cleveland. Minnesota also finds themselves just three games out of the AL Wild Card.
Here are the Red Sox-Twins MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Red Sox-Twins Odds
Boston Red Sox: +1.5 (-192)
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+158)
Over: 8 (-112)
Under: 8 (-108)
Why The Red Sox Could Cover The Spread
Boston will send Michael Wacha to the mound in this one, and Wacha has been one of their better pitchers this season. Wacha has started 16 games, pitching to a 2.53 ERA in 89 innings. On August 14th, Wacha baffled the Yankees on national television, throwing seven shutout innings while striking out nine batters. Batters have hit just .198 against Wacha's changeup. Boston's bullpen has been downright miserable, with the fourth-worst ERA. Still, Garrett Whitlock has been a great addition over the last two seasons, with a 2.90 ERA in 26 appearances. In his 19 appearances out of the bullpen, Whitlock owns a sparkling 1.39 ERA and six saves. John Schreiber has enjoyed a career year in Boston, with a 2.22 ERA in his 51 appearances.
Boston's offense has been led by Rafael Devers, who has hit 25 home runs and 66 RBI, both leading the team. Devers is second with a .290 batting average. Xander Bogaerts leads the team with a .306 batting average, adding 11 home runs and seven stolen bases. Alex Verdugo leads the team with 34 doubles, while Devers and Bogaerts both are second with 33. Boston is sixth with a .257 batting average, and leads the league with 292 doubles.
Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread
Joe Ryan will take the ball for Minnesota in this series finale. Ryan has started 21 games, going 10-6 with a 3.65 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 113.1 innings pitched. Ryan throws fastballs over half the time, limiting batters to a .181 batting average against the offering. Ryan comes from a unique angle, presenting batters with an upshot sort of fastball, which augments his average velocity. Minnesota's bullpen ranks 14th with a 3.72 ERA. Jhoan Duran has been the best of the group, with a brilliant 1.91 ERA in his 48 appearances. Duran has used his blistering fastball to strike out 73 batters across 56.2 innings.
At the plate, Minnesota made a huge splash this offseason by acquiring shortstop Carlos Correa. Correa has hit .274 with 15 home runs and 16 doubles, appearing in 104 games due to a hand injury. Jorge Polanco has launched 16 home runs, ranking behind only Byron Buxton's 28 for the team lead. Buxton, as is the story for most of his career, has battled his fair share of injuries this season. Catcher Gary Sanchez has taken advantage of his change of scenery, with 13 home runs and 20 doubles this season. Minnesota is tenth in baseball with 152 home runs.
Final Red Sox-Twins Prediction & Pick
I like Ryan in this one, and look for Minnesota to stay hot.
Final Red Sox-Twins Prediction & Pick: Minnesota -1.5 (+158), over 8 (-112)
