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Happy Easter Weekend folks! This afternoon, the Minnesota Twins will look to win back-to-back games versus the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park to guarantee at least a split of this early season series. Check out our MLB odds series, where our Twins-Red Sox prediction and pick will be revealed.
After losing two consecutive games in inter-league play versus the Dodgers that nearly saw them get a perfect game pitched against them, the Twins bounced back nicely by jumping out on Boston early in an 8-4 victory. Minnesota now sits at 3-4 on the season. On the bump will be RHP Sonny Gray, who pitched 4 2/3 innings while allowing four hits and two earned runs in a no-decision versus Seattle.
Boston had finally evened up their record at 3-3 prior to falling short against the Twins yesterday, as the Red Sox will look to make it back to .500 with a much-needed win on Saturday. The Red Sox will send out RHP Tanner Houck, who has a filthy arsenal of pitches but will look to bounce back after his first start saw him surrender a trio of runs in three earnings against the Yankees.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Twins-Red Sox MLB odds:
MLB Odds: Twins-Red Sox Odds
Minnesota Twins: +1.5 (-166)
Boston Red Sox: -1.5 (+138)
Over: 9.5 (-105)
Under: 9.5 (-115)
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Why The Twins Could Cover the Spread
Looking to build upon Joe Ryan’s epic start on Friday, the Twins will try to do everything in their power to have a repeat of their pitching prowess. Introducing Sonny Gray, who is in his debut season as a Minnesota Twin, compiled a 4.19 ERA in 2021 as a Cincinnati Red while going 7-9 on the season. While it wasn’t Gray’s best statistical season to date, the 32-year-0ld veteran from Nashville, Tennessee is as good as any twirler in the league when he is hitting on all cylinders.
Against Boston in his career up to this point, Gray has seen his fair share of struggles versus the Sox, going 1-6 with a 6.64 ERA in 42 innings and ten appearances. The good news is that Gray will have a chance to reverse that trend starting today, and what better time to do so than during the first couple weeks of April when the Boston bats have been cold for the most part.
As a whole, the Twins pitching staff is only allowing opposing hitters to rake .211, good for the ninth-lowest mark in the majors.
At the plate, the Twins could definitely improve in a number of statistical categories. Minnesota only ranks second-to-last in team batting average, as the Twins are hitting below the Mendoza Line at .189. While this is generally very poor, hitting can be contagious whether good or bad.
A developing story that could have major consequences is the Byron Buxton injury where the star outfielder exited Friday’s contest with right knee soreness.
In this case, Minnesota is seeing impoverished numbers throughout, as the Twins round out in the bottom ten of MLB teams in runs scored, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. It is no doubt early into the 2022 MLB campaign, but if Minnesota can catch fire at the dish, wins will occur at a frequent rate including the covering of spreads more often.
Why The Red Sox Could Cover the Spread
Switching gears to the Red Sox clubhouse, Boston is clearly wanting to play better baseball as the season progresses. Remember, the baseball season is a marathon rather than a full-on sprint, so there is plenty of time for the Red Sox to turn it around. Not to mention, but Boston plays in the toughest division in all of baseball, as there could end up being a few clubs that will be playing meaningful ball well into October.
In order for Boston to cover the spread in their Saturday rematch against the Twins, Tanner Houck will need to have a bounce-back performance. Many viewers during ESPN’s telecast of Sunday Night Baseball could tell that the powerful righty has the stuff to be considered a top-three pitcher in a rotation, as Houck needs to work on being consistent each start out on the rubber. With Chris Sale continuing to be on the shelf with a right rib fracture, Houck’s role and importance on the club loom even larger until the southpaw returns to the starting pitching staff later in the year.
The offensive struggles have been evident, one performer that has lived up to expectations thus far has been superstar third-baseman Rafael Devers, who is slashing a productive .367 while driving in a team-leading seven RBIs. Devers is as dangerous as it comes, as the 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic can change the outlook of a game in a blink of an eye.
Final Twins-Red Sox Prediction & Pick
After the Twins got after the Red sox on Friday, expect the same to occur on Saturday afternoon. While Boston can for sure win a close game, the -1.5 Red Sox spread is too hefty to side with. The Twins find a way to cover in this American League matchup!
Final Twins-Red Sox Pick: Twins +1.5 (-166)