Twins vs. Tigers Pick
Can the Minnesota Twins keep rolling along when they face the Detroit Tigers on the road against tonight at 6:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Minnesota is favored on the road, as the Twins are getting odds of -170 to win, while the Tigers are listed with a money line of +155 to prevail. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 9.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup tonight has Ervin Santana (15-8, 3.34 ERA) on the mound for the Twins to face Matthew Boyd (6-10, 5.33) of the Tigers. Santana has been hot-and-cold this season, but is coming off a 2-run performance over 5.2 innings against the Yankees. He has 161 strikeouts this season with 61 walks and a 1.14 WHIP. Boyd is coming off a 1-hitter against the White Sox this weekend. He has 99 strikeouts with 48 walks and a 1.57 WHIP this season.
The Twins have won the first two games in this series, picking up a 12-1 win on Thursday and a 7-3 win on Friday. Minnesota is now 80-74 overall and 41-35 on the road. The Twins have a 3.5-game edge over the Rangers and Angels for the final Wild Card spot right now. Detroit is 62-92 overall and 34-45 at home.
Friday saw the Twins get to Daniel Norris early, as they put up five runs on him over 4.2 innings of work. Kyle Gibson earned his 12th win of the year by pitching seven innings and allowing three runs. Byron Buxton led the Twins at the plate with three hits and two RBI while Max Kepler also drove in a pair of runs. Ian Kinsler had two hits and drove in a pair to lead the Tigers.
I won’t tell you to pick the Tigers often, and I certainly don’t feel great about picking them tonight, but the Tigers have some good value today. Santana hasn’t looked good against Detroit, as he has a 7.56 ERA in two starts against the Tigers. It is a far different lineup he is facing today, but Detroit still has Boyd. Boyd is 2-0 against the Twins over four starts with a 3.68 ERA. Boyd showed his best stuff in his last start and has had good stuff against the Twins as is. I think the long odds at home give Detroit the better value today.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: DETROIT TIGERS +155