The Minnesota Twins open their 2020 season against the AL Central rival Chicago White Sox Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field for an 8:10 p.m. ET start. We analyze the Twins-White Sox MLB betting odds and lines, with betting advice and tips around the matchup.
Twins at White Sox: Projected starting pitchers
RHP Jose Berrios vs. RHP Lucas Giolito
Berrios made his second straight All-Star team while going 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA and 1.223 WHIP over 32 starts and 200 1/3 innings.
- Declined over the second half of 2019 with a 4.64 ERA vs. his 3.00 mark from the first half.
- Was better at home with a 3.51 ERA compared to a 3.84 road split.
Giolito made his first All-Star game in just his second full season. He went 14-9 with a 3.41 ERA and MLB highs of three complete games and two shutouts.
- Went 2-2 in four starts against the AL Central champion Twins with a 3.24 ERA and 32 strikeouts against five walks and six home runs allowed.
- Was much better on the road with a 2.83 ERA vs. his 4.06 mark at Guaranteed Rate Field.
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Twins at White Sox: Key injuries
Visit sportsdata.usatoday.com to track all MLB injuries leading up to game time.
Twins
- C Willians Astudillo (COVID-19) out
- CF Byron Buxton (ankle) questionable
- 3B Miguel Sano (past positive COVID-19 test) probable
White Sox
- 2B Nick Madrigal (head) questionable
- OF Nomar Mazara (illness) out
- 2B Yoan Moncada (past positive COVID-19 test) probable
Twins at White Sox: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Thursday at 3:10 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Twins 5, White Sox 2
Moneyline (ML)
Back the defending AL Central champion TWINS (-112). The White Sox (+100) are a favorite darkhorse pick around baseball this season, but they’re likely to be without multiple key young players in the early going due to COVID-19. They may challenge Minnesota for the division crown by the end of the season, but let them prove themselves before jumping on the bandwagon, especially at the sportsbook.
This game was priced as a pick ’em Tuesday afternoon with the odds dropping for Minnesota throughout the week.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Twins would return a profit of $8.93 with a victory.
Run line/Against the spread (ATS)
Go ahead and chase the value with MINNESOTA -1.5 (+140) on the run line. Should the Twins win by a margin of at least two runs, the same $10 wager would return a profit of $14.
The Twins went 13-6 straight up against the White Sox last year and 13-6 against the spread. The White Sox should be much improved this season, but the Twins should also be able to pick up where they left off in the regular season with their ace on the hill.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the UNDER 8.5 (-110). As noted above, the White Sox’s offense won’t be at full health for Friday’s season opener and it’ll be noticed in a tough matchup against Berrios.
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