August 17 Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins Betting Preview

August 17 Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins Betting Preview

Ayden Fahlstrom
3 years ago
3 min read
August 17 Cleveland Indians vs. Minnesota Twins Betting Preview

Tuesday night will feature an AL Central showdown as the Cleveland Indians (57-60) take on the Minnesota Twins (53-66) in the second of a three-game series. The Twins will host this one at Target Field, with first pitch scheduled for 8:10 pm ET.

The Twins were able to take Monday’s opener 5-4. In the victory, Griffin Jax went six innings for the Twins and gave up four runs (two earned). Max Kepler and Ryan Jeffers both homered in the victory.

For the Indians, Bradley Zimmer hit his fifth home run of the season in the loss. Cal Quantrill started for Cleveland and went five innings, allowing three runs on eight hits and struck out four.

Betting Odds

The Twins are the favorites in Tuesday’s game playing at home. They are -156 to win while the Indians’ moneyline sits at +132. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-140), and the over/under for total runs is 9.5.

Pitching Matchup

Cleveland will send righty Eli Morgan to the mound on Tuesday. On the season, he is 1-5 in 10 games with a 6.52 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and has struck out 46 in 48.1 innings pitched.

The Twins will counter with Bailey Ober (1-1, 4.53 ERA). In his last start, Ober picked up a no-decision against the White Sox but went 5.1 scoreless innings. He allowed six hits while striking out six in the no-decision.

By The Number

Offensively, the Twins have been the stronger of the two teams this season. They currently rank 12th in the majors in scoring, averaging 4.63 runs per game. The Indians rank 18th, averaging 4.35 runs per game.

It is Cleveland that holds the advantage on defense. They currently rank 17th overall in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of 4.65 runs per game. The twins fall to 28th, allowing opponents 5.25 runs per game.

Indians Trying To End Season On Strong Note

At 57-60, the chances the Indians make the postseason are pretty slim. They currently sit 11 games back in the division and 10 games back for the second Wild Card spot.

Despite the slim odds, the Indians, who are clinging onto second in the AL Central, are still looking to end the season on a strong note.

Leading the way for the offense is third baseman Jose Ramirez. He has been a source of stability for an otherwise lackluster offense. He is currently hitting .253/.339/.529 and leads the team in home runs (26), runs batted in (73), runs scored (75), and stolen bases (14).

Aside from Myles Straw, who went 0 for 2 against Ober earlier in the year with the Astros, this will be the first time any Cleveland player has faced the Twins’ righty.

Twins Try To Stay Hot

Despite a poor season, the Twins have been playing good ball as of late. They have won eight of their last eleven and three in a row. Looking to stay hot, the Twins will try to guarantee a series win Tuesday.

During this hot stretch, second baseman Jorge Polanco has been the best Twins’ hitter. Despite hitting just .227/.327/.636 over his last 12 games, he has five home runs and 11 runs batted in.

Polanco isn’t the only one showing a bit of power over this stretch. Mitch Garver, Miguel Sano, and Brent Rooker all have two home runs apiece over this winning stretch.

Similar to the Indians, this will be the first time that anyone on the Twins has seen righty Eli Morgan.

Indians Have Their Work Cut Out For Them

There is something to be said about momentum, and the Twins certainly have it. Furthermore, while both of these starters have limited MLB experience, it is Bailey Ober who has been the more impressive thus far.

That said, the Indians certainly have the tools to even up the three-game series at one apiece on Tuesday, but they have their work cut out for them based on recent trends.

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