Red Sox eye sweep of scuffling Twins
The Twins didn’t stand a chance of hanging with Boston yesterday. Will a vulnerable foe on the mound galvanize the hosts this afternoon, though?
Paul Molitor’s crew takes on Rick Porcello and the Red Sox at 2:10 p.m. ET in the Gopher State. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI prefer the visitors as 1.5-run favorites. Minnesota, on the other hand, represents a +165 underdog. The over/under run figure rests at nine.
John Farrell’s troops bashed their way to a 15-4 triumph about 18 hours ago. They’ll probably inflict considerable damage against Pat Dean (1-2, 4.75 ERA), too. While the 26-year-old lefty faces his hometown team for the first time, he holds an unhealthy 5.54 ERA at Target Field. Most recently, Dean yielded four runs and seven base knocks to Miami.
Perhaps the Twins’ own bats can spring to life, however, given the man to whom Farrell slides the ball. Porcello is just 8-9 with a 4.00 ERA in a whopping 25 career meetings with Minnesota. Twins hitters have victimized him for 18 homers, with Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier experiencing particular success vs. the veteran righty.
MLB Quick Links: Free Matchup Reports | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Scoreboard | Betting Trends
In any event, don’t anticipate the same type of offensive bonanza here. We won’t actually recommend the 18-43 Twins, but the Red Sox (36-25) are bound to produce a clunker at some point. For them, that means a mere handful of tallies rather than the customary 12-pack.
SUNDAY MLB FREE PICK: RED SOX/TWINS UNDER 9 RUNS
Want More Picks, Predictions & Odds From The Spread.com? Follow on Twitter and Facebook or Subscribe to Our News Feeds!