Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins Betting Preview

Victor TrejosBaseball, MLB

The Minnesota Twins are traveling east to take on the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. New England Sports Network will televise this AL matchup and the game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox Odds

Vegas is listing Minnesota (+165) as the underdog to Boston (-175). The total sits at 10 runs and bettors can wager on the over or the under for -110. Bettors can also wager on the game’s spread with the current runline odds sitting at -135 for the Twins +1.5 runs and +115 for the Red Sox -1.5 runs.

The Red Sox are 71-32 straight up (SU) and 62-41 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 24.3 units for moneyline bettors and 20.7 units (ATS). The Twins are 47-53 SU and have gone 55-44 ATS. In total, the team’s lost 9.7 units for moneyline bettors, but have gained 8.6 units ATS.

Neither team has been an obvious over/under bet this season. Red Sox games have had an over/under record of 49-51-3 in 2018. Minnesota has an over/under record of 48-48-3.

The right-handed Kyle Gibson is projected to start for Minnesota. Gibson is 4-7 with a 3.57 ERA and 119 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with five strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA against Boston this year.

The Red Sox will turn to lefty Brian Johnson (1-3, 3.81 ERA) to the mound. Johnson has 47 punchouts and 17 walks to his credit, as well as a 1.42 WHIP. Johnson is 0-0 with two strikeouts and a 9.00 ERA against Minnesota this year.

Minnesota’s pitchers have allowed 4.7 runs per game and its starters own a 4.34 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 8.69 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 4.70, along with a WHIP of 1.34 and a K-per-9 of 9.29.

Twins hitters have slashed .246/.318/.407 on their way to 4.6 runs scored per game in 2018, including 6.8 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 6.0 per game over the team’s last five contests (3-2 SU).

Minnesota’s hitters have been paced by outfielder Eddie Rosario and shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Rosario is slashing .310/.352/.521 with 19 home runs, 62 RBIs and 69 runs scored, while Escobar has a .274 average with 15 homers, 63 RBIs and 45 runs scored.

In the home-team dugout, Boston’s pitching staff has given up 3.7 runs per game overall this season. The club’s starters have an ERA of 3.66, a WHIP of 1.21 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 9.7. The bullpen has a 3.39 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 9.7 K/9.

The Boston offense is putting up 5.3 runs per outing, including 4.9 per game over its last 10 games and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team has hit .234/.301/.383 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that stretch.

The Red Sox batters have been led by J.D. Martinez and Mookie Betts. Martinez is slashing .323/.387/.644 with 31 home runs, 85 RBIs and 74 runs scored, and the line for Betts stands at .351/.437/.668 with 24 homers, 52 RBIs, 81 runs and 18 stolen bases.

The Twins have lost 3.9 units and are 17-11 ATS when facing a lefty starter this season. The over has cashed in 11 of those games, compared to 16 that’ve gone under against left-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Red Sox have netted 23.1 units and are 48-28 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 37 of those games, compared to 37 that went under.

Minnesota Twins at Boston Red Sox Pick

Predictions: SU Winner – Red Sox, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – OVER

Betting Trends

  • The over has cashed in four of Minnesota’s last seven games.
  • Minnesota has posted 27.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 25.6 over its last five.
  • The Twins have hit nine home runs in their last 10 games, including five over their last five.