Minnesota Twins (68-63) vs Cleveland Guardians (62-69)
Game Info: Monday, August 28, 2023 at 7:40 pm (Target Field)
Kenta Maeda (3-7) (4.22) vs Xzavion Curry (3-2) (3.51)
Betting Odds: Minnesota Twins -162 / Cleveland Guardians +136 --- Over/Under: 8 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Cleveland Guardians will play the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of their series on Monday night at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota continues to pull away in the AL Central, while Cleveland is trying to catch the Twins. Minnesota currently leads Cleveland by six games.
Guardians Preview
The Cleveland Guardians are 62-69 this season and they have lost seven of their last eleven games. Cleveland is coming off of a series win against Toronto, where they won two out of three games. The Guardians were able to get a much needed series win over the weekend, but they really need to sweep Minnesota to claw back into the race. The Cleveland pitching staff has a 3.83 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and a .244 opponent batting average. The Guardians offense has scored 530 runs with a .249 batting average and a .311 on base percentage this season. Jose Ramirez is batting .279 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI’s for the Guardians. The projected starting pitcher for Cleveland is Xzavion Curry, who is 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP over 77 innings pitched this year.
Twins Preview
The Minnesota Twins are 68-63 this season and they have won three of their last four games. Minnesota is coming off of a series win against the Rangers, where they won three out of four. The Twins offense has scored at least seven runs in four of their last five games. The Minnesota pitching staff has a 3.93 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and a .238 opponent batting average. The Twins offense has scored 589 runs with a .240 batting average and a .319 on base percentage this season. Carlos Correa is batting .225 with 16 home runs and 57 RBI’s for the Twins. The projected starting pitcher for Minnesota is Kenta Maeda, who is 3-7 with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP over 74.2 innings pitched this season.
Minnesota Twins Team Facts
- The Twins have won seven of their last eight home games against AL Central opponents that held a losing record.
- The underdogs have covered the run line in each of the last six games between the Guardians and Twins.
- The Twins have trailed after 3 innings in eight of their last 11 games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Twins have trailed after 7 innings in eight of their last 10 games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Twins have led after 5 innings in each of their last four games against opponents that held a losing record.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
- The Guardians have lost each of their last six night games against American League opponents following a win.
- The Guardians have failed to cover the run line in each of their last 10 night games after going to extra innings.
- The Guardians have led after 7 innings in four of their last six games as underdogs against AL Central opponents.
- The Guardians have led after 5 innings in four of their last six games as road underdogs.
- The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Guardians' last six Monday night games.
Minnesota Twins Player Prop Facts
- Michael A. Taylor has hit at least one home run in four of his last seven appearances with the Twins as home favorites.
- Michael A. Taylor has recorded at least one RBI in four of his last five appearances at Target Field.
- Christian Vazquez has scored at least one run in five of his last six appearances with the Twins as favorites.
- Kenta Maeda has recorded six or more strikeouts in eight of his last nine appearances in night games against teams that held a losing record.
- Michael A. Taylor has recorded at least one total base in each of his last seven appearances with the Twins as home favorites.
- Christian Vazquez has recorded at least one hit in each of his last eight appearances with his team as a home favorite against the Guardians.
Cleveland Guardians Player Prop Facts
- Jose Ramirez has hit a home run in each of the Guardians' last two games as road underdogs.
- Ramon Laureano has recorded at least one RBI in each of the Guardians' last four games as underdogs against AL opponents.
- Andres Gimenez has recorded two or more total bases in five of his last six road appearances after playing the previous day.
- Kole Calhoun has scored a run in four of his last five appearances against AL Central opponents.
- Kole Calhoun has recorded at least one hit in eight of his last nine appearances against AL opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Minnesota Twins ranks 3rd in the league for walks allowed this season (367).
- The Minnesota Twins are one of only 4 teams in the league to rank top 10 in both strikeouts and walks allowed this season.
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 29th in the league for RBI's this season (495).
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 3rd in the league for home runs allowed this season (137).
Pick
Cleveland comes into this series desperately trying to string a few wins together, as it may be their last chance to get back into the AL Central race. The Guardians offense has not been very reliable this season, but Jose Ramirez continues to be their best hitter. Cleveland is starting Xzavion Curry, who has allowed nine earned runs in his last 13 innings. Minnesota is starting Kenta Maeda, who has allowed three earned runs or fewer in 11 consecutive starts. Maeda has been very good for the Twins and I like them to win by at least two runs.
David’s Pick Twins -1.5
AUTHOR: David Racey
Mitch's Take...
