For what should be an intriguing matchup between two familiar foes, the Minnesota Twins travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago White Sox in the first of a three-game set on Monday night. Over the last few weeks before the All-Star break, these clubs will be well-acquainted. This series will set the tone for when they face later this month.
The Twins (45-37) just took two of three from Baltimore, losing the last of the three-game slate by a 3-1 final. At this moment, Minnesota holds a two-game edge in the MLB standings in the American League Central. Cleveland is hot on their tails, however, sitting two games back.
Meanwhile, Chicago (38-39) trails in the AL Central by 4.5 games. Most recently, they swept San Francisco in three road MLB matchups, rounding out a two-series West Coast road swing by winning four of the last five.
With MLB team stats, the White Sox are one of the most effective teams in the majors in the batter’s box. They have a combined .254 at the plate, which is good enough for the fifth-best in the bigs.
If only they could flip some of those knocks for runs, they’d be in business. They rank in the bottom third of the major leagues in that category.
Designated hitter Andrew Vaughn leads the Southsiders with a .301 batting average, while first baseman Jose Abreu and center fielder Luis Robert are both hitting above .285, as well.
Robert paces Chicago with 40 RBIs and Abreu with 82 total hits.
Twins vs. White Sox Odds
MLB odds have the home team as favorites to gain a little bit of ground in the grouping. Chicago is -1.5 on the run line at +164, while the Twins are -200 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the White Sox are -120 and Baltimore a +102 underdog. The total has been set at 9.5 runs, with the over being -105 and the under -115 at the time of this writing.
First baseman Luis Arraez currently boasts a .344 batting average, which is the second-best in the league at this juncture. However, no Twins hitter behind him is hitting better than .260.
Center fielder Byron Buxton has 21 home runs, while second baseman Jorge Polanco has piled up 38 RBIs. Buxton has brought just as many runs across, while right fielder Max Kepler has chipped in with 35 RBIs of his own.
Matchup Information
Twins vs. White Sox Betting Preview
Right-hander Dylan Bundy will get the starting nod for the Twins. To this point, he’s posted a 4-4 record in 13 starts, with a 4.71 ERA. Lately, though, it hasn’t ended well for Minnesota when he’s on the hill. In all but one of his last nine outings, the Minnesota Twins have lost.
His last time out, against Cleveland, he turned in five innings of work, giving up six hits and three runs, two of which were earned. He needs to find his strikeout pitch, as he has only three Ks in his last 11 frames.
Johnny Cueto — a 36-year-old formerly of Cincinnati, Kansas City and San Francisco — will get the ball for the Southsiders. He’s compiled 54 innings on the rubber thus far, pinning up a 3.33 ERA in that time. His record is 2-4 in nine appearances.
At the Los Angeles Angels last Tuesday, he lasted six frames, allowing seven hits and three runs. He earned the decision while also punching out five challengers.
Minnesota Twins vs. Chicago White Sox Picks and Predictions
The White Sox bats figure to propel them to an important divisional victory here. Cueto isn’t what he once was on the mound, even though he is coming off of a win against the Angels.
In your MLB picks today, go with Chicago to cover the spread. The Twins aren’t providing much help behind an excellent hitter, which could come back to haunt them down the stretch if they can’t put something together.
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