The Minnesota Twins were never likely to go to Dodgers Stadium and regain their mojo against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, the Twins are likely to feel the pressure of an intense race for the American League Central race. Any MLB teams that don’t win their division are at the mercy of grabbing one of the three available Wild Card playoff spots in each league.
However, the AL Central appears destined to only have a playoff team. Another loss to the Dodgers Wednesday night could see the Twins tumble out of first place.
Minnesota is now tied for first place with Cleveland following a tough loss Tuesday night to Los Angeles.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, have been a machine throughout the season and are continuing to pile up a large number of victories as the season rolls on. Los Angeles is quickly closing in on sealing the National League West crown.
Twins vs. Dodgers Odds Breakdown
MLB odds have the Dodgers as -162 on the moneyline, while the Twins are +128. The over/under has been set at 9.
Twins vs. Dodgers Betting Preview
Sonny Gray Analysis
Minnesota will be sending Sonny Gray to the mound. Gray, a veteran right-hander, is 6-3 this season with a 3.19 ERA.
When it comes to performance, Gray has started to show major improvement over his past three starts. He has allowed one or fewer runs over his past three starts.
The Twins have won two of his past three starts. Gray has struck out five or more batters per game during that stretch as well.
Gray Rankings
Gray has struck out 74 batters this season which ranks 101st in MLB. Gray will also want to show more efficiency with his pitches.
Gray has only thrown more than five innings once in his last six starts, and he hasn’t thrown seven or more since he went seven in an 11-0 win over Cleveland on June 27.
Ryan Pepiot
When Twins vs. Dodgers odds are posted, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Ryan Pepiot has come through in his limited work this season.
In four starts this year, Pepiot has a 1-0 record with a 2.76 ERA. This start against the Twins will be his first since he threw five innings of one-run ball against Colorado on July 5 Pepiot has been consistently getting strikeouts.
Pepiot Rankings
He has fanned 19 batters in 16.1 innings of work. Los Angeles will want to see him get deeper into ball games as he hasn’t thrown more than 5.0 innings in a game this season. This will be Pepiot’s first start against an American League team this season.
This will be a step up in competition as well. All of the teams Pepiot previously started against this year have losing records.
Twins vs. Dodgers Betting Picks and Predictions
Total Bets for this Matchup
MLB odds show that both starting pitchers haven’t had too many outings where other teams were able to plate a lot of runs.
However, Pepiot’s sample size isn’t big enough to determine what kind of player he is. With both pitchers in good form, it may be a good spot to play the under despite both teams having proficient offenses.
The Twins rank ninth in the MLB, having hit 134 home runs this season, while they are 11th in runs per game, scoring 4.5 per contest.
The Dodgers also have a lot of power, ranking seventh in MLB with 140 home runs. Los Angeles is also first in runs per game at 5.33.
MLB Pick: Under 9
Moneyline Bets for this Matchup
Anyone making MLB picks today should probably favor the home team. When making free MLB picks, it is hard to go against the Dodgers right now.
Coming out of the All-Star Break, Los Angeles has put its foot down and established themselves as the top team in the National League. The Twins need to pull themselves out of a tailspin to stay in the division race.
MLB Pick: Dodgers (-155)
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