Jorge Polanco and the Minnesota Twins will be taking the field against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in a Friday showdown. Fox Sports North is in line to televise this AL matchup and the opening pitch will be at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays Odds
The Twins are 37-18 SU and are 33-21 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 20.1 units for moneyline bettors and 10.9 units ATS. Minnesota has covered the spread in each of its last seven games and the total has gone under in four of those seven. The Rays, on the other hand, are 35-19 SU and 32-21 ATS. The team has gained 6.7 units for moneyline bettors and 9.8 units ATS. Tampa Bay has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the under has hit in five of those seven.
Rays games have an over/under record of 22-29-2 so far in 2019. The Twins have an over/under record of 27-26-1.
Jose Berrios will get the nod for Minnesota. The right-handed Berrios (7-2, 3.20 ERA) has recorded 64 strikeouts in 70.1 innings so far. He has yet to face the Rays this year and only made one start against them in 2018 (0-0, 9.00 ERA and five strikeouts across six innings).
The Rays are handing the ball to righty Ryne Stanek (0-1, 2.97 ERA), who’s got 32 punchouts and 10 walks as well as a WHIP of 1.05. Stanek only made one start against the Twins in 2018 (0-0, 3.00 ERA and five strikeouts across three innings).
Minnesota’s pitchers have allowed 4.1 runs per game and its starters own a 3.60 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 8.33 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.48, along with a WHIP of 1.16.
Twins hitters have slashed .272/.342/.511 on their way to 5.9 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.9 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Minnesota’s hitters have been led by shortstop Jorge Polanco and outfielder Eddie Rosario, who collectively have swatted 26 home runs. Polanco is slashing .335/.405/.583 with nine home runs, 26 RBIs and 33 runs scored, while Rosario is hitting .278 with 17 homers, 47 RBIs and 39 runs scored.
For the home team, Tampa Bay’s pitching staff has yielded 3.1 runs per game overall this year. Its starters have an ERA of 2.33, a WHIP of 0.96 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 10.4. The bullpen has a 3.50 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 8.9 K/9.
The Tampa Bay offense is putting up 4.7 runs per contest, including 6.0 per game over its last 10 games and 7.0 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .324/.406/.505 over its last five matchups and is 5-0 SU during that span.
Outfielders Tommy Pham and Avisail Garcia have paced the Rays’ offense this year. Pham is slashing .305/.418/.488 with eight home runs, 26 RBIs, 26 runs and six stolen bases, while Garcia’s line is .301/.363/.522 with 10 homers, 25 RBIs, 28 runs and six steals.
The Twins have gained 22.1 units and are 27-16 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has cashed in 21 of those games, compared to 22 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Rays have netted 0.7 units and are 20-17 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 18 of those games, compared to 17 that’ve cashed the under.
Twins vs. Rays Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Rays, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The over has cashed in only two of Tampa Bay’s last seven games.
- The Rays have won eight of their last nine games SU.
- Tampa Bay has posted 28.2 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 30.6 over its last five.
- The Twins have hit 19 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rays have hit 15 over their last 10.
- The Twins have an OPS of .854 this season and an OPS of .848 against right-handed pitchers. The Rays’ OPS sits at .783 overall and .807 against righties.
