Twins vs. Yankees Pick
Can the New York Yankees hold off the Minnesota Twins once again when these two AL Wild Card contenders meet up tonight at 7:05PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, New York is favored at home tonight, as the Yankees are getting odds of -160 to win. Minnesota is listed with a money line of +145 to prevail, while the over/under total for the game has been set at 8.5 runs.
MLB Quick Links: Scores & Matchups | Injuries | Odds Comparison | Betting Trends | ATS Stats
The pitching matchup tonight has Jose Berrios (12-7, 3.84 ERA) on the mound for the Twins to face C.C. Sabathia (11-5, 3.85) of the Yankees. Berrios has been up and down this season. He has 128 strikeouts on the year with 42 walks and a 1.18 WHIP. Sabathia has allowed one run in three of his last four starts. Sabathia has 105 strikeouts this season with 48 walks and a 1.31 WHIP.
These two opened their series on Monday, with the Yankees earning a 2-1 win at home. The home team has won three of the four between these two this year. New York is now 83-67 overall and 44-28 at home while Minnesota is 78-72 overall and 39-33 on the road.
Monday’s game was all about the pitching, as the Yankees got 5.2 innings of work from Jaime Garcia and then the bullpen pitched 3.1 hitless innings. The Twins stranded five runners in the game, including three in the eighth inning. The lack of runs allowed Ervin Santana to take his eighth loss of the season. Santana gave up two runs over 5.2 innings. Aaron Judge slammed his 44th home run of the season in the win while Brett Gardner had three hits for the Yankees. Robbie Grossman drove in the lone run for the Twins.
Berrios has been a pitching the Twins can count on, but usually only in Minnesota. At home, Berrios has an impressive 8-1 record with a 2.45 ERA. However, on the road, he is 4-6 with a 5.14 ERA. That doesn’t likely lead to anything good tonight against this New York lineup. Sabathia hasn’t been stellar at home in his own right, but he has the better bats and bullpen behind him. If the Twins can’t get a great start, they aren’t going to win.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: NEW YORK YANKEES -160