The Minnesota Twins are on the road to take on the Cleveland Guardians in an American League Central matchup! This game will continue our MLB odds series as we hand out a Twins-Guardians prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
The Twins are in first place in the AL Central, but they hold just a five game lead over the Guardians. There is only a month left of the season, but five games can easily be made up in that span. Minnesota is coming off a series win over the weekend against the Texas Rangers, so they are carrying some momentum into this game. Minnesota has improved significantly since the All-Star break in July. They are batting 24 points highter, Their OPS is almost 100 points higher, and in 46 games, they have hit 77 home runs. The Twins pitching staff carried them through the first part of the season, but it is their offense that has come alive in the second half.
The Guardians are trailing by five games, but they still believe there is time to catch the Twins. The Guardians have been playing well lately, so there is some reason to believe this is true. The have won six of their last 10 games, but they also beat the Twins in two of three games on the road last week. Cleveland does not have the easiest schedule to end the season, but a series win, or a series sweep here would go a long way towards the division standings.
Pablo Lopez will take the ball for Minnesota. Lucas Giolito will make his Guardians debut after being waived by the Los Angeles Angels.
Here are the Twins-Guardians MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Twins-Guardians Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+120)
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-144)
Over: 7.5 (-120)
Under: 7.5 (-102)
How To Watch Twins vs. Guardians
TV: Bally Sports North, Bally Sports Great Lakes
Stream: MLB TV subscription
Time: 6:10 PM ET/3:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Twins Could Cover The Spread
Lopez is the reason here. The Guardians are not strong offensively, but they do find ways to catch fire occasionally. Lopez is coming off a quality start against the Guardians, though. He threw six innings, allowed three runs on eight hits, and struck out five. Of course Lopez wants to make sure he does not give up as many hits in this game, but in reality, it does not matter much. The Guardians are the worst power hitting team in the MLB, so a few singles here and there will not kill you. As long as Lopez does not allow opponents to stack those hits in a row, the Twins should be just fine with him on the mound.
Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread
Lucas Giolito is back in the AL Central and ready to make his Guardians debut. The Guardians picked a great day for his debut as he has faced the Twins many times in his career, and three times already this season. In those three games, Giolito has dominated. He has thrown 19 innings against Minnesota, allowed them to hit just .197 off him, he has struck out 23, and his ERA is just 1.00. Giolito has a lot of confidence when it comes to pitching against AL Central opponents, but especially the Guardians. If he can continue to have success against Minnesota, the Guardians will cover the spread.
Final Twins-Guardians Prediction & Pick
This should end up being a close game if Giolito returns to his normal form. He was not good on the Angels, so he will need to bounce back. I think this is a comfortable division for him to be in, and he loves to pitch against the Twins. With that said, the Guardians are the underdogs, so I will take them to cover the spread. If they do not win, they will at least keep it within a run.
Final Twins-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Guardians +1.5 (-144), Over 7.5 (-120)