Follow Us
Subscribe
It is an AL Central showdown as the Minnesota Twins visit the Cleveland Guardians. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Twins-Guardians prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Twins dominated game one of the series. They chased out Lucas Giolitio in just three innings. They managed seven hits and three walks off of him, leading to nine runs. It would start in the first for the Twins, as Jorge Polaco hit a solo home run to give them the lead. He would draw a bases-loaded walk in the second to drive in another run before Royce Lewis hit a grand slam in the bottom of the second to put the Twins up six. The Twins were not done scoring, starting with a Carlos Correa home run in the third, they would add three more runs in that inning to give them a 9-0 lead. Ultimately, they would score 20 runs, with Lewis driving in six of them, and Kyle Farmer and Matt Wallner both adding three each.
With the win, the Twins are now 72-66 and have a three-game lead over the Guardians in the Al Central. The Guardians dropped to 66-72, and need to finish this series with some wins to keep pace
Here are the Twins-Guardians MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Twins-Guardians Odds
Minnesota Twins: -1.5 (+150)
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-182)
Over: 8 (-110)
Under: 8 (-110)
How To Watch Twins vs. Guardians
TV: BSNO/BSGL
Stream: MLB.TV
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
It was an offensive explosion for the Twins last night, scoring 20 runs. On the year they are 14th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 21st in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, and tenth in slugging. Royce Lewis was the hero last night driving in six runs, but he has been hitting well for a week now. In the last week, he is hitting .320 with a .346 on-base percentage. With the help of three home runs, he has driven in 11 runs in the last week. Meanwhile, he has stolen two bases and scored six times. Jorge Polanco has also scored six times in the last week. He is hitting .350 in that time with a .519 on-base percentage. Polanco has also stolen a bade and hit two home runs and a double. That has led to six RBIs on the week.
Carlos Correa added to his season totals last night too and also comes in hot. He is hitting .308 over the last week with a home run and four RBIs. Correa has also scored three times. Overall, the Twins are hitting great. They are hitting .278 in their last six games with a .356 on-base percentage. They have 13 home runs and seven doubles in that time, meaning almost one-third of their hits are for extra bases. The Twins have also scored 43 times on an expected run creation of just 38.7 runs.
The Twins will send out Sonny Gray for the start. He is 7-6 on the year with a 2.92 ERA. The ERA is good for third in the majors. He was great in August. He made six starts going 39.2 innings and giving up 10 runs, nine earned. That is good for a 2.04 ERA. Still, the Twins did not give him a lot of run support. He lost twice and the Twins lost three times due to a lack of run support. His last time out he went seven innings without giving up a run, but the Twins lost.
Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread
Scoring six runs often gets a win, but not when a team gives up 20. Normally, the pitching for the Guardians is solid. They are eighth in the majors in team ERA while sitting 18th in WHIP and 17th in opponent batting average. The Guardians sent Tanne Bibee to the mound today. He is 10-3 on the season with a 3.03 ERA. He was solid last time out, going five innings and giving up two runs but grabbing a no-decision. That was the same with the Twins, but while he had eight strikeouts, he did walk three batters. Walks have been an issue at times for Bibee. He had four in a game earlier in August and once in July as well. Still, he was solid in August, going 35 innings and giving up 11 runs, good for a 2.83 ERA and 3-1 record.
At the plate the Guaridans are tied for 25th runs scored, while sitting 16th in batting average, 24th in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging. Steven Kwan comes into this game hitting well. In the last week, he is hitting .357 with a .387 on-base percentage. He has stolen two bases, hit a double, and scored three times. Kwan has also driven in four runs. Also driving in runs is Kole Calhoun. He is not hitting as well, hitting just .174 in the last week. Still, he is getting on base at a .286 rate with a home run and a double. That has led to five RBIs.
One of the best bats in the lineup as of late has been Gabriel Arias. Arias is hitting .348 in the last week with a .400 on-base percentage. He has a home run and two doubles which has led to four RBIs. He has also scored five times. As a whole, the Guardians are hitting well. They are hitting .263 in the last week with a .329 on-base percentage. The Guardians have also been in trouble on the base path, stealing eight bases in their last six games. Still, they need to capitalize more on their opportunities. They have just 25 RBIs on an expected 29.2 in the last week.
Final Twins-Guardians Prediction & Pick
Tanner Bibee does give the Guardians a slight pitching edge in this match up. When looking at the two offenses, the Twins have the edge initially. Taking out last night's amazing performance though, it is the Guardians hitting better as of late. This should be a good game between two fairly evenly matched-teams. With that, take the extra runs with the Guardians.
Final Twins-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Guardians +1.5 (-182)