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It is game two of an interleague series as the Minnesota Twins face the Atlanta Braves. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with a Twins-Braves prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Yesterday it was another ten-strikeout performance for Spencer Strider. Strider went seven innings giving up just one run to pick up his ninth win of the year. The lone run was a Joey Gallo home run, who has been in the midst of a major slump. For the Atlanta offense, it was home runs in the seventh by Marcell Ozuna and Ronald Acuna Jr., that paved the way for a victory.
The loss for the Twins drops them back to .500 on the year, at 40-40. They are still 1.5 games up on the Guardians for first place in the division, as they have gone 5-5 in the last ten. The Braves improved to 51-27 on the year, and have won three straight. They have now won 11 of their last 12 overall and will be looking to add another win today.
Here are the Twins-Braves MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Twins-Braves Odds
Minnesota Twins: +1.5 (-154)
Atlanta Braves: -1.5 (+128)
Over: 9 (-102)
Under: 9 (-120)
How To Watch Twins vs. Braves
TV: TBS/BSNO/BSSO
Stream: TBS App/MLB.TV
Time: 7:20 PM ET/ 4:20 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread
The Twins' offense struggled again yesterday, scoring just one run again yesterday. Overall, they are tied for 18th in the league in runs scored, while sitting 25th in batting average, 23rd in on-base percentage, and 178h in slugging. Joey Gallo hit his 13th home run of the year last night, which ties him for the team lead. It has not been a good month for Gallo so far. He has just six hits this month in 39 at-bats. Four of those hits are for extra bases, with two home runs. Since June 20th, Gallo has just two hits in 17 at-bats, both of them solo home runs.
While Gallo has struggled, Royce Lewis has been hitting great. Lewis did not appear in a game until May 29th but has continued to impress since then. He is hitting .333 since his season debut with four home runs and 14 RBIs. In the series with the Tigers, he went five for 12 with a home run and two RBIs.
Also hitting well as of late has been Eduard Julien. Julien had two hits in the game yesterday and is hitting .306 on the month. His one base has been solid as well, sitting at .382. While he is getting on a fair amount, he is not driving in runs. He has yet to drive in a run this month, but he has scored seven times.
On the mound, today for the Twins will be Joe Ryan. Ryan is 8-4 on the season with a 2.98 ERA. The last time out was another stellar performance. He went all nine innings, giving up just three hits while striking out nine in the shutout victory.
Why The Braves Could Cover The Spread
Yesterday it was two more home runs that helped the Braves get the win. This is not abnormal for them, as they lead the majors in slugging percentage this year. Meanwhile, they are also first in on-base percentage, second in batting average, and third in runs scored this year. Matt Olson leads the team in RBIs and home runs. His 25 home runs are second in the majors, while his 60 RBIs sit in a tie for third. Over the past month, his slugging has continued. He is hitting .244 on the month with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. Olson has also walked 11 times and scored ten in that time frame.
Also swinging a hot bat as of late has been Ronald Acuna Jr. Acuna is second in the majors in batting average at a .328. He is in the top twenty in many major offensive categories for the year, including being third in the majors in OPS. Over the last month, he has hit six home runs while driving in 18 and hitting .337. He also has an OBP of .396 for the month with twenty runs scored. The combination of Acuna and Ozzie Albies has been great for the Braves. Albies has driven in 19 runs this month while hitting seven long balls and scoring 17 times.
On the hill, tonight for the Braves will be Bryce Elder. Elder is 5-1 so far this year with a 2.40 ERA. His last time out he went seven innings without giving up a run and only giving up three hits. He took the no-decision in the game, as the Phillies and Braves went scoreless for the first nine innings.
Final Twins-Braves Prediction & Pick
Two amazing pitchers will be on the mound today. Both Elder and Ryan have pitched great this year, and it is very possible that neither one of them walks away with a decision today. The difference in this game will be the Braves offense. They have a much better offense and they also have more power. In a game such as this, it may come down to just one swing of the bat, and the Braves have the better bats to do that with. Expect a low-scoring game with great pitching in this one.
Final Twins-Braves Prediction & Pick: Braves -1.5 (+128) and Under 9 (-120)
