Looking to grab the second of a three-game American League slate, the Minnesota Twins will play host to the New York Yankees Wednesday night. The visitors won the first tilt by a 10-4 final Tuesday.
The Yankees (40-15) are off to the best start in baseball. They lead second-place Toronto in the AL East by seven games and are currently on a seven-game winning surge. Before touching down in the Twin Cities, they swept the reeling Los Angeles Angels and lowly Detroit.
Minnesota (32-25) recently dropped four of five to the Tigers before winning a three-game set against the Blue Jays. They’re back after that eight-contest road swing and lead the AL Central by four games.
Second baseman Luis Arraez has made better use of his lumbar than maybe anyone so far, hitting a major league-leading .361 in 166 plate appearances.
Center fielder Byron Buxton has belted a team-high dozen home runs, while shortstop Jorge Polanco has driven 31 runs in.
At home, Arraez has a .397 batting average and 11 walks to go along with that. Polanco, Buxton, third baseman Gio Urshela, and right fielder Max Kepler all have at least a dozen RBIs at Target Field this year.
With at least 20 tries each, Arraez and Buxton have both hit above .300 over the past week.
Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees Odds
MLB odds have the Yankees favored to continue their recent tear. New York is -1.5 on the run line at -102, while the Twins are -118 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Yankees are -172 and Minnesota a +144 underdog. The total has been set at 8.5 runs, with the over being -115 and the under -105 at the time of this writing.
Glancing at MLB betting trends, New York’s bats have had the most pop in the bigs this campaign. Their 83 home runs are ten more than the next closest crew at this juncture.
Over a quarter of the Yankees’ long balls have come on swings by right fielder Aaron Judge. He also paces the team with 45 RBIs — the sixth most in the MLB — and 46 runs scored.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo (14 homers), designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (12), and second baseman Gleyber Torres (10) are the other Bronx Bombers to notch double-digit dingers so far.
A lot can change with one at-bat when it comes to this team.
Matchup Information
Twins vs. Yankees Betting Preview
New York is slated to give the nod to left-hander Nestor Cortes. With a major league-leading 1.50 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP, he’s had a great deal of success to this point.
Looking some MLB stats the Yankees haven’t dropped a game in which Cortes has started in over a month. In four of his last six outings, he’s been able to turn in lengthy performances, going seven innings or more on the hill.
Only once this season has he allowed more than three runs total. In 60 frames, Cortes has only let ten come across.
Righty Chris Archer will take the ball for the hosts. He’s coming off of his longest start of the year thus far, a five-inning effort at Detroit. Despite allowing only three knocks and a run, he ended up with a no-decision.
In three of his last four appearances, Archer has kept runs to a premium.
Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees Picks and Predictions
In a tilt between a pair of division leaders, the mix of Cortes’ pitching and the orders’ power — they hit three homers Tuesday — will be too much for the Twins to overcome.
The Yankees have both the hottest pitcher and the most effective hitter at their disposal, which doesn’t bode well for Minnesota, who isn’t getting much help from anyone behind Arraez.
With these MLB picks today, go for the visiting Bronx Bombers to extend their win streak and keep rolling at an unmatched pace.
When betting on baseball today, go with New York to cover the game’s spread.
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