The Detroit Tigers will make a road trip to Minneapolis to play their AL Central foe Twins at Target Field. Fox Sports North will televise the matchup. The opening pitch will be at 8:10 p.m. ET.
Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins Odds
Detroit (+150) is coming into this one as the underdog against Minnesota (-160) and oddsmakers have the Over/Under for this one at 9.5 runs (-120 for the under and +100 for the over). You can also bet on the game’s spread with the runline odds standing at Tigers +1.5 runs (-145) and Twins -1.5 runs (+125).
The Twins are 64-54 against the spread (ATS)despite being only 56-63 straight up (SU). They’ve lost 8.9 units for moneyline bettors while gaining 7.0 units (ATS). The Tigers, on the other hand, have gone 50-71 SU this year and are 62-58 ATS. Overall, the team’s lost 3.9 units for moneyline bettors and 5.7 units ATS.
Twins games have a 55-60-3 over/under record in 2018. Detroit has been a strong under bet with a total record of 46-68-6.
Francisco Liriano will get the nod for the visiting Tigers. The left-handed Liriano is 3-7 with a 4.42 ERA and 76 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with three strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA against Minnesota this year.
The Twins are handing the ball to righty Ervin Santana (0-1, 6.53 ERA), who’s got 14 strikeouts and six walks to his name, as well as a 1.45 WHIP. Santana is 0-1 with five strikeouts and a 7.50 ERA in one start against Detroit this year.
As a unit, Minnesota’s pitching staff has allowed 4.6 runs per game overall in 2018. Its starters have an ERA of 4.33, a WHIP of 1.36 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.4. The bullpen has a 4.57 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 9.4 K/9. In 49 games against divisional foes, Twins starters have an ERA of 4.32 and the bullpen’s ERA is 3.19.
Minnesota’s offense is putting up 4.4 runs per contest, including 4.2 per game against divisional foes and 4.0 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .251/.290/.383 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
The Twins’ hitters have been led by left fielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Rosario is slashing .295/.336/.493 with 20 home runs, 67 RBIs and 76 runs scored, while Escobar’s line is .274/.338/.514 with 15 homers, 63 RBIs and 45 runs.
For the visiting squad, Detroit’s pitchers have allowed 4.6 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.41 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 7.22 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.38, along with a K-per-9 of 7.97.
The Tigers offense has slashed .240/.299/.375 on its way to 3.8 runs scored per game this season, including 3.7 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (2-3 SU).
Detroit’s offense has been led by right fielder Nicholas Castellanos and shortstop Jose Iglesias. Castellanos is slashing .290/.340/.488 with 17 home runs, 66 RBIs and 63 runs scored, while Iglesias (.264/.306/.389) has produced five homers, 48 RBIs, 38 runs and 14 stolen bases.
The Tigers have lost 11.1 units and are 42-47 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 31 of those games, compared to 53 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 2.5 units and are 19-14 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over’s hit in 12 of those games, compared to 20 that went under the total.
Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Tigers, O/U – UNDER
