A pair of AL squads looking to bolster their playoff resumes will meet on the diamond as the Toronto Blue Jays head south to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Twins. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Blue Jays-Twins prediction and pick will be made for all betting fanatics to see.
Currently occupying the top Wild Card spot in the American League, the Blue Jays will send out one of the more efficient pitchers in right-hander Alek Manoah. The 24-year-old possesses a lot of promise with the fifth-best record in the majors at 11-5 and the sixth-lowest earned-run average at 2.43.
Is anybody biting their nails when glancing upon a crazy three-team race in the AL Central? At the moment, Minnesota holds a one-game lead over Chicago and a two-game lead over Cleveland. Getting the nod from manager Rocco Baldelli will be the savvy veteran in Sonny Gray, who is 6-3 with a 3.41 ERA.
Here are the Blue Jays-Twins MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Twins Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+128)
Minnesota Twins: +1.5 (-154)
Over: 8.5 (-106)
Under: 8.5 (-114)
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
While the Blue Jays may trail the Yankees by a whopping 11 games with two months of the season remaining, Toronto has still managed to have an impressive campaign with a 58-46 record. No doubt, pre-season expectations of these teams were high, as these lofty aspirations have finally come into fruition. After splitting a short two-game series with their division rivals in the Rays, Toronto has now been victorious in 11 of their last 14 games.
With so many playoff spots up for grabs as the calendar year has officially switched from July to August, both sides will be chomping at the bit to add this one to the win column.
To begin, Toronto has been effective at times from the mound with a 3.86 ERA and the seventh-most quality starts in the majors. This makes Monoah's start against Minnesota that much more important. He won his lone start versus the Twins back on Sept. 26th of last year when he allowed only two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched.
The offense will be a sole reason why the Blue Jays could cover on Thursday evening. One of the better lineups in all of baseball, Toronto acquired Whit Merrifield from Kansas City before the deadline to further increase the firepower within these bats. On the year, Toronto's .264 batting average is the highest mark in the major leagues. On the other hand, be on the lookout to see if George Springer is healthy enough to suit up in this one. After missing a third straight game with a sore elbow, having Springer present would be a game-changer.
Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread
The Twins still remain in first place in their division, but they without a doubt can feel the White Sox and Guardians breathing down their neck with less than 60 games remaining in the regular season. It is officially scary hours in and around the North Star State, as this AL Central race could come down to the last few days of the season before one of these teams is crowned. Until then, the Twins have showcased they can be one of those squads by remaining in first place for the past several months.
While there may be more added pressure in the air at Target Field on Thursday, the Twins still remain confident prior to this showdown with the Blue Jays. This was certainly the case during the team's 4-1 victory over the Tigers on Wednesday. Newly acquired closer Jorge Lopez was able to shut things down for his first save as a Twin while Sandy Leon made a good first impression after being traded from Cleveland by spanking a two-run double to help spark the offense. After being buyers during the deadline, the Twins have pushed all their chips to the middle of the table.
The biggest thing to keep an eye on if the Twins have any plans to cover is if Minnesota can come away with some timely hits. The most likely Twin to accomplish this? How about star outfielder Byron Buxton, who has gone 11-34 with three homers, three RBIs, and nine runs scored in his last ten games. Simply put, Buxton has a surplus of pop when swinging the bat.
In other good news, right-handed twirler Sonny Gray holds a 3.20 ERA in 13 career appearances (12 starts) versus Toronto.
Final Blue Jays-Twins Prediction & Pick
With their division lead all but on the line in this one, the Twins should have what it takes to cover the +1.5 spread at home. The Blue Jays will make this close with a phenomenal effort, but desperate times call for desperate measures if you're in that Minnesota clubhouse.
Final Blue Jays-Twins Prediction & Pick: Twins +1.5 (-165)
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