At 2:10 PM ET, the Blue Jays and Twins square off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Target Field in Minneapolis, and the Twins are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -193. The money line odds for the Blue Jays are at +162, and they are 5th in the AL East, while the Twins are 3rd in the AL Central.
The over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and SNET will be televising this game. Sunday's starting pitching matchup is Yariel Rodriguez for the Blue Jays and Bailey Ober for the Twins.
Toronto vs. Minnesota Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Blue Jays at Twins
- Where: Target Field Minneapolis
- Date: Sunday, September 1st
- Betting Odds MIN -193 | TOR +162 O/U 8.5
Blue Jays vs Twins Last Game Recap
Toronto cruised to an easy 15-0 win over the Twins in the most recent game of this series. The Blue Jays had a huge first inning, scoring seven of their fifteen runs. As for the Twins, they only had four hits and didn't score a run in the game.
Jose Berrios started for the Blue Jays and picked up the win, going six innings and not giving up a run. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued just one walk. On the other side, Zebby Matthews got the start for the Twins and took the loss, going just two innings and giving up nine earned runs.
At the plate, Toronto was led by Will Wagner, who went 5/6 with a home run and two RBIs. Spencer Horwitz also had a good game, going 3/5 with a homer and three RBIs. As for the Twins, their top hitter was Nathan Lukes, who went 4/6.
Blue Jays Preview
On the road, the Blue Jays have been a good bet against the run line, with a 45-26 record, but they have struggled at home, going 25-42. Their overall run line record is 70-68. Against the over/under line of 8.5 runs, Toronto's games have averaged 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 22-19 when the line is set at 8.5 runs.
Currently, the Blue Jays are 67-71 and trail the Rays by 1.5 games for 4th place in the AL East. They are 13 games behind the Yankees for the division lead. Toronto has a series record of 16-21-6 and has gone 7-3 in their last ten games.
Right-hander Yariel Rodríguez gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Twins on the road. He has made 16 starts this season and has a record of 1-6 with a 4.82 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .229 off Rodríguez this season. In his 16 appearances, he has turned in two quality starts and is averaging 9.09 strikeouts per nine innings. Looking back at his last outing, Rodríguez took the loss, giving up six earned runs in five innings of work. He has allowed at least one homer in three straight outings.
Coming into today's game, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. This is also the 19th best mark in the league for road games and 20th for home games. As a team, they are batting .242, which is 11th in the league, and are one of the best teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts. Toronto's offense is led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is batting .324 for the season and has a team-high 27 home runs and 89 RBIs.
Guerrero Jr. has also been hot of late, going 14/34 in his last nine games, while Addison Barger has also been swinging a hot bat, going 12/33 in his last nine games. Barger has three homers in this stretch and has driven in seven runs. He also comes into the game on a nine-game hitting streak.
Twins Preview
Minnesota has a 24-16-3 series record this season and is 28-17 against AL Central teams. The Twins are 3.5 games behind the Guardians in the division with a 73-62 overall record. They have a 38-30 home record and are 35-32 on the road.
As favorites, the Twins are 57-36 straight up and 36-31 against the run line on the road. The over has hit in 50% of their games with an O/U line of 8.5 runs, and their overall O/U record is 69-62. So far this season, Twins games have averaged 9.2 runs per game.
Twins starter Bailey Ober will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Blue Jays today. In that start, he gave up nine earned runs in just two innings of work. Ober ended up taking the loss in that outing. Before that start, he had put together three straight solid outings, going 1-0 with two no-decisions. His ERA for the season is 4.06, along with a record of 12-6. Opponents are batting .213 vs. Ober this season. Out of his 25 starts, he has 15 quality starts and one complete game. Per nine innings, Ober is averaging 9.32 strikeouts and just 2.28 walks.
Over his last six games, Willi Castro has gone 6/20 (.300) with five runs scored and three RBIs. For the season, he is batting .255 with 11 homers and 52 RBIs. Castro's 11 homers are 7th on the team. Catcher Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins' top power threat this season, as he leads the team with 20 homers and is also 1st on the team with 59 RBIs.
As a team, the Twins are 6th in batting average, averaging 4.8 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 4.9 runs per game. Overall, their team OPS of .746 is 7th in the league, and they are also 6th in slugging percentage.
Blue Jays vs. Twins Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs -110
Our prediction for today's Blue Jays vs. Twins matchup is to take the Twins to win at home, with a final score of 6-5. However, with the Twins being -193 on the money line, we would recommend taking the over at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Bailey Ober is projected to finish with five strikeouts compared to Yariel Rodriguez, who we have finishing with six. However, we have Rodriguez finishing with a higher strikeout total than Ober, so our advice would be to stick with the over.
