The Minnesota Twins take on the Los Angeles Angels. Check out our MLB odds series for our Twins Angels prediction and pick.
Chris Archer gets the start for the Twins, while Tucker Davidson goes to the bump for the Angels.
Chris Archer has a 4.02 ERA, but his last several weeks have been volatile ones. He entered July with a 3.08 ERA. Then he missed two and a half weeks due to injury. He came back on July 17 and was hammered in two consecutive starts: 10 runs allowed in 7 2/3 innings against the White Sox and Brewers. Those two disastrous outings pushed his ERA to 4.04. His next two starts in August kept his ERA stable, just over the four-run mark. He allowed four earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. He generally does not pitch beyond five innings. The Twins hope he can be a five-inning, one-run pitcher, as opposed to a five-inning, two-run pitcher.
Tucker Davidson has made only five appearances for the Angels this season. On Aug. 7, he made his first appearance for the Halos since May 28. He was roughed up by the Seattle Mariners for six runs in four innings. Maybe this outing against the Twins will be better, maybe it won't. When a pitcher has played in only one major-league game in a 10-week span, it doesn't seem wise to make overly sweeping or firm statements about his expected performance. Davidson did struggle against the Mariners last week. That could enable him to make adjustments and perform a lot better, or he could simply remain a mediocre pitcher who will be vulnerable against quality competition. We don't know.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Twins-Angels MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Twins-Angels Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+112)
Los Angeles Angels: +1.5 (-134)
Over: 9 (-104)
Under: 9 (-118)
Why The Twins Could Cover the Spread
The Twins are fuming after letting a 3-0, eighth-inning lead slip away late Saturday night in Anaheim. They lost in 11 innings after taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. The anger in the Twins' dugout should spill into this game. Expect a very focused performance from Minnesota against a pitcher, Tucker Davidson, who might surprise us all but who can't be expected to shut down the Twins in this situation. It is far more likely than not that the Twins will get to Davidson for several runs and enable Minnesota to win this series. The Twins needed a sweep, but they certainly have to win the series as they try to catch Cleveland in the American League Central race.
Why The Angels Could Cover the Spread
The boost provided by Saturday's electric comeback could give the Angels a shot in the arm. As we have been telling you in any betting preview involving the Angels over the past week, this team has gained a second wind. It isn't playing great baseball, but the Angels aren't a punching bag anymore. They swept the A's in Oakland, they split four games in Seattle against the Mariners, and now they have a chance to win a series against the Twins. The Angels are not terrible right now, and against Chris Archer, who has not been especially convincing of late, they certainly have a chance to score a large number of runs and help Tucker Davidson relax on the mound.
Final Twins-Angels Prediction & Pick
The Twins' loss on Saturday night makes them a stronger pick in this game. It's hard to deny the idea that Minnesota will come out very intent on bouncing back from a humiliating loss. One key detail of that loss: The Twins were 0 for 14 with runners in scoring position. They're bound to be a lot better here.
Final Twins-Angels Prediction & Pick: Twins -1.5
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