Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Rays 5/30/19, Prediction & Odds

Twins vs. Rays Prediction

The Minnesota Twins have the best record in baseball and will look to improve on that tonight as they play at the Tampa Bay Rays. Can Minnesota make another statement with a series-opening road win?

Game Snapshot

963 Minnesota Twins at 964 Tampa Bay Rays

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Tropicana Field at 7:10PM ET

TV: MLB Network

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Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers, the Rays are a -138 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Twins are a +128 underdog, while the total is set at 8 runs. As of Thursday afternoon, 52 percent of public bets are siding with visiting Minnesota. Check out our MLB Public Betting Page for the latest information.

Smeltzer throws six shutout innings in debut

Minnesota lefty Devin Smeltzer guided his squad to a 5-3 home victory Tuesday over Milwaukee in his MLB debut. He threw six innings of shutout baseball with three hits allowed, seven strikeouts and no walks to get the no-decision. Matt Magill threw one inning of scoreless relief to get the win, giving up one hit with one strikeout and no walks. Ryne Harper retired the only batter he faced for his first save of the season. Eddie Rosario was 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to help pace the offense. Max Kepler finished 1-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs. C.J. Cron went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run and an RBI. Martin Perez starts tonight as he enters with a 7-1 record, 2.95 ERA and 1.33 WHIP with 56 strikeouts over 58 innings.

Rays prevail in 11 innings

Tampa Bay won a fifth straight game Wednesday night as it downed visiting Toronto 4-3 in 11 innings. An RBI single from Willy Adames in the bottom of the 11th provided the game-winner. Adames ended the contest 1-for-5 with the RBI single plus a walk. Austin Meadows was 2-for-4 with two walks and two runs to help pace the offense. Tommy Pham finished 3-for-5 with a walk and a run. Brandon Lowe was 2-for-6 with a double and two RBIs. Avisail Garcia was 3-for-6 with an RBI. Kevin Kiermaier ended the contest 1-for-3 plus three walks and a stolen base. Diego Castillo notched the win in relief as he allowed one hit with one strikeout and one walk in one scoreless inning. Charlie Morton draws the start tonight for the Rays as he comes in with a 5-0 record, 2.54 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 77 strikeouts over 60 1/3 innings.

MLB Betting Trends

Minnesota

The Twins are 6-0 in their last six games on astroturf. Minnesota is 5-1 in its last six Thursday games. 

Tampa Bay

The Rays are 62-30 in their last 92 games overall. Tampa Bay is 5-1 in the last six home meetings versus the Twins.

Prediction:

Minnesota has been arguably the most surprising team story in baseball and it will have a stiff test here at Tampa Bay. Morton is a trusted arm, whereas I'm not totally bought in on Perez. His strikeout rate is solid, but I feel he's due for some regression based on track record. I trust the Rays and Morton on their home field more than I do the Twins with Perez on the mound. Minnesota's offense is legit, but Morton has the stuff to slow down anyone.

 

MLB DAILY PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY RAYS -138