The Oakland Athletics will try to bounce back as they face the Minnesota Twins in the second of a three-game series. It's time to continue our MLB odds series with an Athletics-Twins prediction and pick.
The Twins edged out the Athletics 2-1 on Friday. Minnesota started things early when Jose Miranda blasted a shot into deep-left for a solo home run to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. Consequently, it was his first home run in 2022 and the first of his big league career. The Twins added another in the fifth when Byron Buxton clobbered a solo shot to center to put the Twins up 2-0. The A's countered with a run on a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but that would be all the scoring they would do.
The Twins won despite leaving 10 runners on the base paths. Additionally, Josh Winder pitched well, allowing one run (none earned) on three hits with eight strikeouts over six innings. Emilio Pagan struggled in the ninth as he walked two hitters, but managed to cling on for the save. The Athletics are 10-16 and last in the AL West, while the Twins are 16-11 and in first in the AL Central.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Athletics-Twins MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Athletics-Twins Odds
Oakland Athletics: +1.5 (-134)
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+112)
Over: 7.5 (-115)
Under: 7.5 (-105)
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Why The Athletics Could Cover The Spread
Oakland will have James Kaprielian on the mound. Kaprielian made his first start of 2022 last week after a long injury and it did not go well. Unfortunately, he tossed two innings allowing four earned runs on three hits with four walks. It was the shortest outing of his career. Now, Kaprielian will attempt to rectify the ship and rebound from a poor start. He will accomplish this easier if his offense can help.
The A's are 28th in batting average, 30th in on-base percentage, 23rd in runs, and 22nd in home runs. Additionally, Oakland has lost seven games in a row mainly due to an ineffective offense as they have scored two or fewer runs in four of those contests. They have won 11 games this season and have scored at least four runs in seven of them. Hence, this means Oakland needs to score to have a chance at winning.
The Athletics will cover the spread if Kaprielian can cut down on walks and effectively bounce back from his poor first game. In addition to that, the A's need the offense to score at least four wins to give themselves a realistic chance of covering. These two factors could play a pivotal role in determining Oakland's success.
Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread
Minnesota will turn to Chris Paddack to start. He is 1-2 with a 3.15 ERA in 2022. Subsequently, he has not thrown more than 5 2/3 innings and the Twins have scored a combined seven runs in his four outings. He achieved his first win of the season in a win over the Baltimore Orioles in his previous start. Now, Paddack will look to do it again as he takes on the A's. He is part of a pitching staff that ranks sixth in the majors in team ERA. His offense has gelled well, too.
The Twins are 12th in team batting average, ninth in on-base percentage, 14th in runs, and eighth in runs scored. Minnesota's ability to score has propelled them to the top of the division. Buxton has been a ginormous part of this success, as he is hitting .290 with nine home runs and 17 RBI. Additionally, Carlos Correa has been an excellent addition to the Twins, as he is hitting .255 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. The Twins hit the ball well, and it has helped them go 12-3 over the past 15 games.
The Twins will cover the spread if Paddack can give them a quality start, and shut down this anemic Oakland offense. Also, Minnesota covers the spread if the offense can take advantage of any mistakes that Kaprielian makes early in the game. If the Twins can rattle him, they could get to the Oakland bullpen. Thus, the Twins could ensure that they cruise to victory.
Final Athletics-Twins Prediction & Pick
Neither team scored much last night. However, that is not a recurring pattern for the Twins who rank in the top ten in many offensive categories. Trusting Kaprielian to pitch a quality start is a difficult thing to request. Therefore, Minnesota has the edge here and should take advantage of an Oakland team headed for a long season. Expect the Twins to win and cover the spread.
Final Athletics-Twins Prediction & Pick: Twins: -1.5 (+104)
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