Minnesota Twins VS Cleveland Guardians kick off their four-game series in Minnesota tonight.
The Guardians have an opportunity to close the significant gap between them and the Twins with a powerful weekend victory against Minnesota.
Tonight’s pitching will feature Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee (1-1, 2.88) and Twins’ Pablo Lopez (3-3, 4.11).
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Predictions and Betting Preview for Minnesota Twins VS Cleveland Guardians MLB Regular Season
- Venue: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- When: Thursday, June 1, 2023
- Time: 16:40 GMT
- Teams to play: Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians.
- MLB Picks: MONEYLINE 1.752
Odds by 1XBet and BetMGM.
Betting On The Cleveland Guardians
- 1XBet Spread: +1.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 2.248
- 1XBet Over/Under: Under 8.5
- BetMGM Spread: +1.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 2.10
- BetMGM Over/Under: Over 8
Cleveland Guardians are in third position in the AL Central Division but their current records are below expectations for a team that won the AL Central and passed the wildcard rounds last season. They are having a hard time making runs this year even after signing first baseman Josh Bell and catcher Mike Zunino in the offseason aimed at giving them more strength.
Bell and Zunino combine for 6 home runs and 33 RBI entering Wednesday afternoon’s series-closing game against the Baltimore Orioles. On Wednesday, Cleveland pulled through a rare tough start from ace Shane Bieber and they outslugged Baltimore 12-8. They had a season-high 17 hits plus a 4-for-6 day from Josh Naylor which included two doubles, a home run and 6 RBI.
Bibee will open against the Twins. He has pitched well since he was called up with a record of 1-1 in 6 starts and an ERA of 2.88. Bibee has 3 solid starts so far and a K/9 rate of 8.9 and a WHIP of 1.09. On the road this season, he is 1-0 in two starts with an ERA of 3.18. His K/9 rate drops to 6.4 on the road and his WHIP rises to 1.32 while he allowed 11 hits in 11.2 innings pitching.
Betting On The Minnesota Twins
- 1XBet Spread: -1.5
- 1XBet Moneyline: 1.752
- 1XBet Over/Under: Over 8.5
- BetMGM Spread: -1.5
- BetMGM Moneyline: 1.75
- BetMGM Over/Under: Under 8
The Minnesota Twins began an early lead in the AL Central and maintained it throughout the all-star break before some deadline deals delayed their momentum and caused a second-half collapse resulting in a division title for Cleveland.
Despite being the only team in the AL Central Divison with a positive run differential, +40, the Twins are only two games over .500 entering the series finale with the Houston Astros on Wednesday night. That night, Louie Varland delivered seven shutout innings for the Twins and was supported by an offense that had 11 hits and 9 runs in a 9-2 series-closing win over the Astros.
Minnesota’s offseason trade acquisition, Pablo Lopez will start the series against Cleveland. Lopez is 3-3 in 11 starts this season with an ERA of 4.11. He has gotten six good starts so far and his K/9 rate is 11.1 with a WHIP of 1.13.
At home this year, Lopez is 2-1 in 5 starts with an ERA of 5.46. Lopez’s WHIP rises to 1.25 at home and his K/9 rate slightly rises to 11.2. In his first season in the AL, his hard-hit percentage has jumped almost 6 per cent from only over 34% to 40%. His strikeout percentage improved too, moving from just under 24% for his career to 30% this season.
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MatchPlug Prediction
Minnesota goes home with a record of 16-12 at Target Field this year. Cleveland enters in four games under .500 on the road this season. Additionally, the Guardians’ light-hitting players will match Lopez and his 11.2 K/9 rate.
In their past 10 games, the Guardians are hitting only .224 and are scoring just 2.6 runs per game. The Twins perform just slightly better, averaging only 3.7 runs per match over the last 10 games. Although, Minnesota has strong power numbers at home.
Minnesota is averaging almost 5 runs per game at home this season and has sent 40 home runs in 28 home games. On their pitch, they slug an impressive 1.200 this season.
Bibee finds it difficult to put away batters on the road with a K/9 rate of only over six so the Twins’ lineup should pull some numbers in tonight’s game.
Final Prediction: Minnesota Twins Moneyline.
