Subscribe
Follow Us
The Minnesota Twins start their interleague series with the St. Louis Cardinals today. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with a Twins-Cardinals prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Twins enter the game after being swept by the Kansas City Royals. They have now lost five straight games, but are still the favorites to win the AL Central. They are 54-53 on the season, which gives them a one-game lead over the Guardians in the division. While the Twins just bolstered their bullpen, the Guardians are selling off their major parts ahead of the trade deadline. With the Guardians being the only major competition in the division, the Twins should be able to run away with it down the stretch.
Meanwhile, The Cardinals just lost three of four to the Cubs over the weekend. They are now 47-60 on the season and are in full sell-off mode. The Cardinals are in active trade talks regarding many of their top players and could look like a very different team tomorrow.
Here are the Twins-Cardinals MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Twins-Cardinals Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+140)
St. Louis Cardinals: +1.5 (-170)
Over: 8.5 (+100)
Under: 8.5 (-122)
How To Watch Twins vs. Cardinals
TV: BSNO/MARQ
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:45 PM ET/ 4:45 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread
For the most part, it has been the Twins pitching that has let them down as of late. While they lost 2-1 in their last game, the pitching has given up 37 runs in their last five games. This is a staff that ranks eighth in the majors in team ERA, first in WHIP, third in opponent batting average, and first in quality starts. On the hill for the Twins, today will be Pablo Lopez. Lopez is 5-6 on the season with a 4.13 ERA. Last time out he went seven innings against the Mariners and gave up just two runs, both on solo home runs. Still, the Twins would give up seven more after he left, and they would fall 9-7. In July, Lopez went 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA.
On the offensive side of things, the Twins have been fairly average. They are 18th in the majors in runs scored, 23rd in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage, and 13th in slugging. As of late, it has been Matt Wallner driving in the runs for the Twins. In his last five games, he has hit four home runs and driven in five runs. That is the majority of his production for July though. He hit just .209 on the month while driving in five runs and hitting four home runs.
Meanwhile, Byron Buxton had a solid weekend at the dish. He went 5-9 at the plate against the Royals with two RBIS and three runs scored. Like Wallner though, July was a struggle. Buxton hit just .203 on the month with 11 RBIS and three home runs. He did score 12 times, but Buxton struggled some with strikeouts. During the month, Buston struck out 26 times. Joey Gallo continues the theme of striking out. In July he hit just .128. He only drove in five runs, while hitting three home runs. Gallo did score six times, but he struck out 29 times, including nine times in his last five games.
Why The Cardinals Could Cover The Spread
While the Twins have gotten solid starting pitching this year, and Cardinals have not. They are 23rd this year in team ERA, 27th in WHIP, and 28th in opponent batting average. This is all while sitting tied for 23rd in quality starts this year. They just traded Jordan Montgomery, and more trades could be coming soon. Currently, Miles Mikolas will be the starting pitcher for the Cardinals. This could change with the trade deadline before the game today. If it is him, he is coming in with a 6-6 record and a 4.38 ERA. He is also coming in on plenty of rest. Last time out he went just .2 innings, after he intentionally threw at Ian Happ. He was suspended five games but appealed the suspension, and could be in line to start tonight.
The offense for the Cardinals has been solid this year, but some of the bats could be gone before the game today. One that may be gone is Nolan Arenado. He is coming into this game after having a very solid July. He hit .295 on the month while having a .346 on-base percentage. Arendao hit six home runs which led to 23 RBIS on the month. He also hit nine doubles and scored 13 times in July. Meanwhile, Lars Nootbar had a solid July as well. He hit .309 on the month with six home runs and 12 RBIs. The most impressive part of his game in July was the runs scored. While getting on base at a .416 clip, he scored 24 times this month.
Joining Nootbar in scoring runs has been Brendan Donsvan. He has scored six times in the last six games, which gives him 12 runs scored in the month. Donovan also had a solid month at the plate. In July he hit .312 with a .354 on-base percentage. He drove in 10 runs with the help of three home runs, three doubles, and a triple. Donovan also stole a base on the month.
Final Twins-Cardinals Prediction & Pick
This may be a very difficult game to project considering the factors that are going into it. First is the pitching matchup. The projected starter for the Cardinals is Miles Mikolas. There is a small possibility that Mikolas is traded, or the possibility his suspension is upheld. If he is a go, it does give a small pitching edge to the Cardinals.
Then there is the line-up for the Cardinals. Paul DeJong, Alec Burleson, and Dylan Carson could all be gone before this game. There is also the possibility that Donovan or Arenado get moved, but that is less likely. With the fluctuations possible in the Cardinals lineup, it may be wise to wait to make a play here if you are looking at snagging the Cardinals. With how the Twins' offense has been playing, that should be the right side here, but the price may go down if they send out a poor offense today.
Final Twins-Cardinals Prediction & Pick: Cardinals +1.5 (-170)
