Twins vs. Tigers Odds
| Twins Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
| -130 | 9 +100/ -122 | -1.5 +125 |
| Tigers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Total | Run Line |
+110 | 9 +100/ -122 | +1.5 -150 |
We head to the Motor City this Friday night as the Detroit Tigers host the Minnesota Twins in the first game of what could be a crucial three-game set. The AL Central has been a disappointment as a whole, and the collective struggles have kept these two teams tight in the standings.
The Tigers actually enter this matchup as the hotter of the two teams, as they have won six of their last 10 games. Their lineup has begun to put it together of late, and that offensive success may carry over to this game.
As for the Twins, they are looking to avenge their series against the Tigers from last weekend, where we saw them drop the first two games of that series.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins have been a team that can't get out of its own way offensively. If you look at their batted-ball metrics, they are top three in xwOBACON and are fourth in Barrel Rate.
However, they are hitting just .232 as a team and only have an xBA of .238. Those averages do not align with their contact rates, as they have minimized that hard contact by striking out a ton.
Minnesota leads the majors in Strikeout Rate at 27.1%. That is nearly 5% higher than the league average, and the Twins' tendency to swing and miss will help the opposing starting pitcher tonight.
Joey Wentz will get the ball for the Tigers, and he should enter this outing with confidence. Wentz carved up this Minnesota lineup his last time out as he struck out nine batters while allowing just two runs over six innings of work. Given the way the Twins are trending, Wentz should find success again tonight.
Detroit Tigers
It's no secret that the Tigers' lineup has struggled this season. They enter this matchup hitting just .229 as a team and have a wRC+ of 87. However, they are a team to back offensively moving forward.
They rank 17th in xwOBACON and are due for some sizable positive regression. Detroit's team xBA is .245, and their xSLG is .406, which is 41 points higher than their current team slugging percentage.
This lineup will get to face Kenta Maeda, who's making his first start since the end of April. This outing for Maeda will be his fifth of the year, and his first four were alarming.
Maeda's Hard-hit Rate is a whopping 51.8%. While the sample size is small, and he may not have been healthy, Maeda was not missing bats and was making plenty of mistakes over the plate. If he shows any rust in this outing, the Tigers should be able to capitalize.
Twins vs. Tigers Betting Pick
These two teams are trending in opposite directions entering this series. Detroit is looking up, and the Tigers should be hungry as they have a real shot to challenge for the division.
As for the Twins, they are the most talented team in the AL Central but have not been consistent, and it will begin to cost them.
Detroit should give Maeda a rude welcome back while Wentz repeats the success he found last week. Notably, both of these bullpens have been solid, so I am avoiding them and am backing the Tigers to be up halfway through this one at +102.
Pick: Tigers F5 ML +102 |
