The Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox meet tonight in an MLB betting encounter of division leaders. The Twins lead the AL Central while the BoSox are tied for first in the AL East.
Minnesota Twins vs Boston Red Sox
Time: 7:10 PM
Venue: Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts
Sportsbook odds for fans who bet on baseball:
Twins +1½ (-115) 8½ (-105) +183
Red Sox -1½ (-105) 8½ (-115) -194
Minnesota
On the mound: Jose Berrios (RHP, 7-1, 2.67 ERA, 53 K) allowed the White Sox two runs on four hits and had eight strikeouts in eight innings on Wednesday. Berrios is four for four in four road starts. Opposing batters are .214 against Berrios’s curveball, with which he has 24 Ks. “I am attacking hitters right now with my curveball every time I am ahead of the count,” he said. “I like to mix it up with my fastball, curveball and changeup. That idea is the key. Throw strikes, first-pitch strikes.” Only the Nationals’ Max Scherzer of has posted a lower xBA than Berrios since the latter made his first start on May 13th.
At bat: Second baseman Brian Dozier is 11-for-38 (.289) with four doubles, three home runs, 11 RBIs and a .973 OPS against Chris Sale.
Miscellanea: Third baseman Miguel Sano sat out on Friday and Saturday versus Cleveland with a sinus infection. He was a designated hitter against the Indians on Sunday, but should return to third base tonight. Lucky him; we haven’t been to third base in a long time. The Dominican – as in the country, not the Order of Preachers – is 6-for-12 (.500) with a home run and four RBIs in his career versus Sale.
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: The Twins have won and covered in five of their last six games. The MLB betting total has gone over in four of Minnesota’s last five games when playing the Red Sox.
Boston
On the mound: Chris Sale (LHP, 9-3, 2.85 ERA, 146 K) surrendered three runs on four hits and struck 10 Royals batters in 8 1/3 innings on Tuesday for his 10th game with 10 Ks or more this season. Opposing batters have a .191 average and a .296 slugging percentage against Sale’s slider, which he has thrown 490 times – of which only 35 have been put in play, and only 22 have resulted in a hit. Sale’s slider has recorded 59 strikeouts. “He’s invaluable,” manager John Farrell said. “[for] the way he’s pitched, the number of innings he’s pitched and the quality of the innings that he has contributed.” The Condor is 9-6 with a 4.37 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 25th career games versus the Twinkies, 17 of which have been starts
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: The BoSox have lost and failed to cover in two thirds of the last six games as well as in their last six games versus Minnesota. The MLB betting total has gone over in four of the Red Sox’ last five times hosting the Twins.