The Minnesota Twins (19-10) visit the AL Central-rival Cleveland Indians (17-11) for the first game of a three-game set Monday. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET at Progressive Field. We analyze the Twins-Indians betting odds and lines, with MLB picks and best bets.
Twins at Indians: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Kenta Maeda vs. RHP Aaron Civale
Maeda in 2020: 3-0 with a 2.27 ERA and an MLB-best .632 WHIP (33 K, 8 ER in 31 2/3 IP) over five starts.
- In his last start, Maeda carried a no-no into the top of the 9th before surrendering a hit which turned into a run against the Milwaukee Brewers. He earned a no-decision because the Twins blew a three-run lead but won the game 4-3 in extra innings, Aug. 18.
Civale in 2020: 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA and .971 WHIP (32 K, 11 ER in 34 IP) over five starts.
- The 25-year-old threw a complete game in his last start, a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates Aug. 19.
Get some action on this game or any other matchup in the 2020 season with an MLB bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!
Twins at Indians: Key injuries
Get the latest injury news here.
Twins
- 3B Josh Donaldson (calf) out
- C Mitch Garver (ribs) out
- CF Byron Buxton (shoulder) out
Indians
- CF Delino DeShields (hip) questionable
Also see: BaseballHQ Fantasy Baseball
Twins at Indians: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Indians 4, Twins 2
Moneyline (ML)
The Twins (-118) are in first place in the AL Central because they’ve successfully pivoted to a defensive team thus far in the season. Minnesota is less explosive in the batter’s box so far in 2020 compared to their 2019 squad.
The Indians (+105) are 1.5 games back of Minnesota for first in the AL Central and are the best pitching team in the majors. Cleveland pitching gives up the second-fewest runs per game, has the second-lowest ERA and the lowest WHIP in MLB.
The Twins beat the Indians 3-1 in a four-game series earlier this year. Where I give the Indians the slight edge today is in their hitting splits. Cleveland hitters have a higher OBP by 69 points and score 1.57 more runs per game when facing right-handers.
TAKE INDIANS (+105). New to sports betting? A $100 bet on the Indians (+105) earns a $105 profit if Cleveland upsets Minnesota.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
I am PASSING ON THE RUN LINE because I’ll typically only play run lines when they are priced closer to even money.
Over/Under (O/U)
The UNDER 8.5 (-110) is the obvious play but is a little too obvious for me to love a bet on the total. Each of their four meetings this season went Under the total. The Under is 4-0-1 in Civale’s last 5 starts as an underdog and the Under is 6-0 in the Twins’ last six games vs. a team with a winning record.
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