At 1:10 PM ET, the Twins and Guardians will face off in an AL Central matchup. This one is taking place at Progressive Field in Cleveland, and the Twins are the slight money line favorites, with their line sitting at -104 compared to the Guardians at -114. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Joey Cantillo will be going for the Guardians, while the Twins are starting Simeon Woods Richardson. Minnesota comes in with a record of 80-72, which has them third in the AL Central. The Guardians are 1st in the division at 88-65.
Minnesota vs. Cleveland Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Twins at Guardians
- Where: Progressive Field Cleveland
- Date: Thursday, September 19th
- Betting Odds CLE -114 | MIN -104 O/U 8.5
Twins vs Guardians Last Game Recap
Cleveland picked up a 5-4 win over the Twins in the most recent game of this series. The Guardians had a two-run lead heading into the 10th inning, and the Twins could only muster two runs in the bottom half of the inning. As a result, the Twins wasted a good outing from Bailey Ober, as he went seven innings and gave up just two earned runs.
Tanner Bibee started for the Guardians and also gave up just two earned runs across 6 2/3 innings. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued one walk. Hunter Gaddis got the win out of the bullpen, and Ronny Henriquez took the loss for the Twins.
Josh Naylor was the difference for the Guardians, as he homered twice, scored three times, and finished with two RBIs. Carlos Correa did the same for the Twins, going 3/5 with two runs scored.
Twins Preview
Minnesota is 7.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead, with an 80-72 overall record. The Twins are currently 3rd in the division and have a series record of 26-17-4 this season.
When the O/U line is set at 8.5 runs, the Twins have a 24-22 O/U record. Their games have averaged 9.1 runs per game, and 60.5% of their games have had lower total lines than today's 8.5 runs. Minnesota's run line record is 39-38 on the road and 71-81 overall, with an average run margin of 0.2 runs per game.
Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson is starting for the Twins today as he faces the Guardians on the road. He has made 26 starts this season and has a record of 5-5 with an ERA of 4.08. Woods Richardson's WHIP for the season is currently 1.25, and he has allowed a total of 14 home runs. Looking at his overall numbers, he has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 7.66 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Woods Richardson took the loss, giving up three earned runs in three innings of work. He has taken the loss in each of his last two outings.
Carlos Santana has been one of the Twins' top power threats this season, as he leads the team with 22 homers and 65 RBIs. He has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 10/32 in his last eight games. Willi Castro has gone deep 12 times this season, and he is also on a seven-game hitting streak. For the season, he is batting .251.
As a team, the Twins are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 4.9 runs per contest. Overall, they are 10th in home runs and have the 7th best team batting average in the league.
Guardians Preview
As the favorite, the Guardians have a 62-33 straight-up record, and their games have averaged 8.3 runs per game this season. The over/under record for games with an 8.5 run line is 20-20. Cleveland's overall series record is 26-15-6, and they have a 7-3 record in their last 10 games.
Cleveland leads the AL Central by six games over the Royals with an 88-65 record. In the AL Central, they have a 29-22 record. The Guardians have won two of the first three games in their series against the Twins.
Joey Cantillo will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn't give up a run and picked up the win. In that outing vs. the Rays, he went 5 innings and didn't give up a hit. Looking back further, Cantillo has a record of 2-3, an ERA of 4.99, and WHIP of 1.17. Opponents are batting .222 off the left-hander this season. Cantillo's ERA on the road is 7.48, compared to 2.25 at home. So far, he has made one quality start and is averaging 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor have been the Guardians' top power threats this season, as Ramirez's 35 homers are 7th in the league and Naylor's 31 homers are 11th. Ramirez's 107 RBIs are 5th in the MLB, and Naylor is right behind him with 105 RBIs. Naylor has also been hot of late, going 6/19 with two homers in his last five games. However, Lane Thomas has also hit two homers in his last five games but is batting just .158 over that stretch.
For the season, the Guardians are averaging 4.4 runs per game and are batting .238 as a team. They have been a better offense at home, averaging 4.7 runs per game. As a team, they are 12th in home runs and are one of the league's best teams at not striking out.
Twins vs. Guardians Prediction: Twins ML -104
Our predicted final score for this Twins vs. Guardians matchup is 5-4 in favor of the Twins. With the Twins being the underdogs on the money line at -104, we see this as a great opportunity to take advantage of the better payout.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Joey Cantillo finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Simeon Woods Richardson with five. However, Cantillo is projected to go just four innings, while Woods Richardson is projected to go five.
If you're looking for a parlay, you could also look to the over/under, as the line is currently sitting at 8.5 runs. Our projections have this being a low-scoring game, but we do have the Twins' offense finishing with more runs than the Guardians.
