Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Guardians September 17 Doubleheader Betting Preview

The Cleveland Guardians (77-66) started off their five-game series against the Minnesota Twins (72-71) with a win on Friday and now will look to keep it going in a day-night doubleheader Saturday. Playing at Progressive Field, the first game will start at 1:10 p.m, with the nightcap starting at 7:10 p.m.

On Friday, the Guardians scored four runs in the seventh and eighth innings en route to a 4-3 victory. Oscar Gonzalez went two for four, and Amed Rosario added two runs batted in for Cleveland.

For the Twins, Jake Cave hit his fourth home run of the season, but the bullpen couldn’t back up starter Bailey Ober’s five innings of scoreless ball. Jhoan Duran was tabbed with the loss.

The Guardians come in as the favorites in both games. In the first game, they are (-173) to win, while the Twins’ moneyline sits at (+150). The runline features Minnesota +1.5 (-148), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.

In the evening game, the Guardians are again the favorites, with the moneyline at (-130). The Twins’ moneyline is (+110). The runline features Minnesota at +1.5 (-200), and the over/under for total runs is 8.5.

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Pitching Matchup

In the first game of the day, Minnesota will send righty Louie Varland (0-0, 3.38 ERA) to the mound. Guardians’ manager Terry Francona will counter with righty Shane Bieber (10-8, 2.91 ERA).

In the nightcap, the Twins will hand the ball to Josh Winder (4-4, 3.83 ERA). Cleveland will look to southpaw Konnor Pilkington (1-2, 4.30 ERA) to take the nightcap.

Make Or Break Time For Minnesota

At 72-71, the Minnesota Twins find themselves five games back in the division with just 19 games to play. Facing the breaking point, the Twins really need to sweep Saturday if they hope to stay competitive in the division.

Unfortunately for Twins’ fans, they have to rely on two youngsters to try to get the job done. Between Varland and Winder, they have just eight combined starts between the two of them.

Offensively, keep an eye on shortstop Carlos Correa. In the last month, he is hitting .317/.379/.587 with seven home runs, 19 runs batted in, and 13 runs scored. In what could be his one and only season in Minnesota, he is trying to lead the Twins to the playoffs.

Cleveland Looks To Win The Day

With a Guardians’ win on Friday and losses by both the Twins and White Sox, Cleveland has moved back up to a four-game lead in the AL Central. With two games against Minnesota Saturday, they will look to win the day and extend their divisional lead.

No Guardians’ hitter has faced Louie Varland, but several have squared off with Game 2’s Josh Winder. Both Andres Gimenez and Steven Kwan have homered off the righty.

Cleveland would love for ace Shane Bieber to set the tone in the first game. He has won back-to-back starts entering play. In his last 14.1 innings, he has allowed just two runs on nine hits while striking out 14.

Great Opportunity For Cleveland

Cleveland couldn’t ask for a better situation than what they have Saturday. With the Twins on the ropes, the Guardians will send ace Shane Bieber to the mound for the opener.

Not only would a Bieber win in Game 1 set the tone for the day, but it would also extend the Twins’ losing streak against the Guardians to seven games.

Obviously, the Twins will be hungry for a win in this one, but after their come-from-behind victory Friday, Cleveland definitely has the momentum coming into this doubleheader.