Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Guardians June 28 Doubleheader Betting Preview

After winning seven series in a row, the Cleveland Guardians (36-33) have turned ice cold as they have lost five consecutive games. Now three games back in the AL Central, they will have a chance to get two games back as they host the Minnesota Twins (42-33) for a doubleheader on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Twins won the opener of this five-game series 11-1.

Offensively, the Twins scored 11 runs on 14 hits including three home runs. Alex Kirilloff, Gio Urshela, and Gary Sanchez combined for nine hits, seven runs batted in, and six runs scored.

Cleveland's offense managed just five hits and Myles Straw scored the team’s lone run.

Guardians vs. Twins June 28 Betting Odds

In the matinee, the Twins are the favorite despite playing on the road. They are -116 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at -102. The runline features the Guardians +1.5 (-184), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

In the evening contest, the Twins are again the favorites. They are -112 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline is -104. The runline in this one again features Cleveland +1.5 (-188), and the over/under for total runs is 9.5.

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Pitching Matchup

For the first game of the day, the Twins will send lefty Devin Smeltzer (4-1, 3.05 ERA) to the mound. He will be countered by the Guardians’ Zach Plesac (2-5, 4.17 ERA)

In the second game, the Twins’ Josh Winder (2-2, 3.68 ERA) will toe the rubber. Opposing him will be Cleveland’s Konnor Pilkington (1-0, 3.67 ERA).

Twins Heating Up

After cooling down a bit a couple weeks ago, the Twins have been playing much better ball as of late. In fact, they have won four of their last five to improve their record to 42-33 and reclaim the AL Central lead.

Leading the way for the Twins offensively over the last week has been Carlos Correa. In the last seven games, he is hitting .345/.333/.690 with three home runs, five runs batted in, and five runs scored. His play as of late is exactly what the Twins thought they would get when they signed the superstar as a free agent this offseason.

On the year, Byron Buxton has been solid. Despite hitting just .233/.315/.578, he has a team-leading 19 home runs, 35 runs batted in, and 41 runs scored in 206 at bats.

Critical Point In Cleveland’s Season

Just a week ago, the Guardians were riding high as they had caught the Twins in the AL Central standings. Coming into their doubleheader Tuesday, Cleveland has tumbled back down to second in the division and three games back of the Twins.

Given that the Guardians haven’t hit the halfway mark of the season yet, it is hard to get too uptight about a series at the end of June, but this certainly could be identified as a critical series. With four games left, they have the opportunity to either claw back into the division lead, or possibly plummet as far back as seven games in the division.

Sweeping the doubleheader on Tuesday would go a long way towards Cleveland fans feeling better about how they have played as of late.

If Monday’s game is any indication, the team needs both the pitching and offense to step up. Offensively, the catalyst for the Guardians continues to be Jose Ramirez, but he can’t do it alone.

Others that need to continue to step up include Andres Gimenez (.318 avg, 8 HR, 35 RBI), Owen Miller (.255 avg, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 33 R), Josh Naylor (.277, 8 HR, 38 RBI), Steven Kwan (.287 avg, 28 R), and others.

Cleveland Can Get It Done, But Have To Be Better At Home

The Cleveland Guardians have certainly shown the ability to take down the Twins, but they are going to have to play better at Progressive Field. While they are 16-14 at home this season, they have lost five of their last six against the Twins at home.

While Monday’s one run from the offense doesn’t help, Tuesday will really come down to the pitching. If Zach Plesac and Konnor Pilkington can at least contain the Twins, the Guardians should have a good shot in both games. If they can’t, they may be looking at a five-game deficit by the time these two play again on Wednesday.