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The Minnesota Twins (24-19) and Cleveland Guardians (27-17) open a 3-game series at Progressive Field on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET (Apple TV+). Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Twins vs. Guardians odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Guardians lead 2-0
The Twins were blanked in the final 2 outings in a 3-game sweep against the New York Yankees at Target Field. And in the first game, Minnesota lost 5-1 on Tuesday night. The Under has cashed in 4 straight games, although the total has gone high in 5 of the past 6 outings against AL Central teams.
The Guardians were blanked 4-0 against the Texas Rangers Wednesday in the series finale, but Cleveland won the 1st 2 games by a combined score of 14-4, with a shutout in Monday’s game. In fact, Cleveland has allowed 4 or fewer runs in 5 consecutive games. The Under is 4-1 in the past 5 contests for the Guardians.
Twins at Guardians projected starters
RHP Simeon Woods Richardson vs. RHP Triston McKenzie
Woods Richardson (1-0, 3.24 ERA) makes his 6th start. He has a 1.24 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 8.3 K/9 in 25 IP.
- Last start: No-decision, 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 8 H (2 HR), 1 BB, 2 K in 10-8 road loss vs. Toronto Blue Jays last Saturday
- 2024 vs. AL Central: (1-0, 2.45 ERA), 14 2/3 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 16 H, 4 BB, 13 K in 3 starts
McKenzie (2-3, 3.54 ERA) makes his 9th start. He has a 1.38 WHIP, 5.3 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9 in 40 2/3 innings.
- Last start: Loss, 6 2/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 4 H, 3 BB, 5 K in 3-1 road loss vs. Chicago White Sox May 11
- 2024 home splits: (2-1, 3.42 ERA), 23 2/3 IP, 10 R (9 ER), 19 H, 18 BB, 22 K in 5 starts
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Twins at Guardians odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:01 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Twins +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Guardians -118 (bet $118 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Twins -1.5 (+158) | Guardians +1.5 (-192)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Twins at Guardians picks and predictions
Prediction
Guardians 4, Twins 3
Moneyline
The GUARDIANS (-118) are worth playing in the series opener Friday at Progressive Field.
Cleveland has won 3 of the past 4 games, including a pair of shutouts. The Guardians topped the Twins (+100) in a pair of home games April 4-6.
Run line/Against the spread
The Guardians +1.5 (-192) are too expensive to play on the run line, so PASS, if you normally like a little insurance.
On the flip side, the Twins -1.5 (+158) also cannot be trusted. Remember, this is a Minnesota team which lost 3 in a row against the Yankees earlier this week, accounting for just a single run in 3 outings.
Over/Under
UNDER 8 (-115) is the play in this AL Central Division battle between 2 rivals.
The Under has cashed in 4 of the past 5 games for Cleveland, and the winning team has ended up shutting out the opposition 3 times during the span.
For the Twins, the total has gone low in 4 straight games. But be careful, as the Over cashed May 11, the last time out for Woods Richardson in a loss to the Blue Jays.
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