Friday is finally here, and the MLB action could not get much better! The Minnesota Twins will travel to Tropicana Field to take on the Tampa Bay Rays in what should be a thrilling American League matchup this evening. Join us for our MLB odds series, where our Twins-Rays prediction and pick will be revealed.
The Twins enter play scorching hot, as their recent sweep of the Tigers has pushed Minnesota's winning streak to seven consecutive games. Thanks to stellar pitching and hitting over the last week, the Twins now sit three games up on the Royals for first place in the AL Central. Looking to help Minnesota win an eighth straight will be RHP Dylan Bundy, who is 3-0 with a very tiny 0.59 ERA.
Tampa Bay is starting to come into their own as well, as the Rays dismantling of the Mariners 2-1 on Thursday helped them remain victorious for a third straight series. At 11-8, Tampa Bay sits in third place in the AL East and two games behind New York for the top spot. After going 7-3 in their previous ten games, the Rays will send out veteran Corey Kluber and his 3.68 ERA in his three combined efforts to this point.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Twins-Rays MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Twins-Rays Odds
Minnesota Twins: +1.5 (-196)
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+162)
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under: 7.5 (-104)
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Why The Twins Could Cover the Spread
Last time we checked, the Twins have the longest winning streak in all of the land! Winners of their last seven contests, Minnesota can do no wrong right now. After beating up on the Tigers 7-1 on Thursday, an abundant amount of smiles could be seen on the faces of everyone in the Minnesota clubhouse yesterday. There's no doubt that winning is infectious, and after an offseason that saw the Twins go all in trying to establish a winning culture, it seems to be paying off in the first few weeks of the MLB season.
During the fabulous torrid play that the Twins have displayed, Minnesota pitching has been tough to hit off of, as they are firing strikes and limiting the mistakes when they set foot on the rubber. The Twins rotation has accumulated a 2.39 ERA thus far, a number that is good enough for the second-best mark in the majors. Twins hurlers also rank within the top ten in batting average against, as they are restraining opposing hitters to only .224 hitting.
Tasked with continuing the hot streak will be Dylan Bundy, who has seemed to fit right along with the rest of this astounding pitching staff in his trio of starts thus far. Bundy has only given up one run in 15 1/3 innings pitched and will be facing a Rays' lineup that is tied for twelfth in the league with 80 runs scored. The 29-year-old from Tulsa, Oklahoma is surely eager to right his wrongs versus Tampa Bay, as Bundy is 5-6 with a 6.19 ERA in 13 career starts against the team from the Cigar City.
Why The Rays Could Cover the Spread
A pre-season contender to most baseball experts heading into 2022, the Rays have sneakily played their best baseball of the season over the past week and a half. Tampa Bay will continue their lengthy home stand in hosting Minnesota this evening, as the Rays have managed to reel off four wins over their previous six home games at Tropicana Field.
After dropping the opening game against Seattle, the Rays buckled down and held the Mariners to three runs total in the last 18 innings played. Like Minnesota, the Rays have showcased tremendous pitching in key situations to start off 2022, as Tampa Bay is only letting foes hit .207, good for fourth in the MLB. While the staff has been impressive, it has been the bullpen that has been near un-hittable. On Thursday, the Rays' bullpen tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings and were largely responsible in why they came out victorious almost 24 hours ago.
Can Corey Kluber continue to prove that he can be a valuable arm on this roster? So far so good for the 36 year-old, as he is only averaging two-runs given up in each of his outings. In 23 career starts against the Twins, Kluber is 9-7 with a 3.40 ERA.
If there is one aspect that the Rays have an advantage in and could play a factor in covering the spread, it is their offensive lineup. Tampa Bay has posted better numbers at the plate than Minnesota thus far, and will need to put up the runs against a blistering bunch on Friday night. Rays' batsmen have a knack in reaching base, as they are ninth in all of baseball in on-base percentage with a .322 mark.
Final Twins-Rays Prediction & Pick
With the Twins acting as underdogs in this one with a +1.5 spread, it should be a no-brainer to side with the Twins in this highly anticipated contest. Minnesota is playing very well collectively and should give Tampa Bay a run for their money as visitors. The Twins continue their impressive play on Friday!
Final Twins-Rays Pick: Twins +1.5 (-196)
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