Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins May 15 Betting Preview

After splitting the first two games of the series, AL Central rivals will square off Sunday in a rubber match as the Cleveland Guardians (16-16) take on the Minnesota Twins (19-15). The Twins will host this one at Target Field with first pitch scheduled for 2:10 p.m.

Cleveland bounced back from a 12-8 loss on Friday to win Saturday 3-2. In the extra inning win, starter Shane Bieber went six innings, allowing just one run on seven hits while striking out seven.

The offense was able to muster seven hits while leaving 13 on base. Steven Kwan led the team with two hits.

Betting Odds

The Twins are the favorites Sunday playing at home. They are -156 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +132. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-166), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.

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Pitching Matchup

Triston McKenzie will take the ball for the Guardians in the finale. This season he is 2-2 with a 2.76 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and has 30 strikeouts in 29.1 innings of work. He picked up the win in his last start, going six innings and allowing two earned runs to the Blue Jays.

The Twins will counter with 25-year-old righty Joe Ryan. In six games, he is 3-2 with a 2.56 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and is averaging just about a strikeout per inning. He was roughed up a bit by the Astros in his last start, giving up four runs in four innings on four hits and five walks.

By The Numbers

The Twins have had the edge in the power department thus far this season. They rank eighth in home runs with 35. The Guardians rank 16th with 30 home runs on the year as a team.

Minnesota has also had the advantage in its pitching. In terms of earned run average, Minnesota ranks seventh with a team ERA of 3.41. The Guardians rank 24th with a team ERA of 4.21.

Guardians Look To Get Back Above .500

After picking up the win Saturday, Cleveland would love to win Sunday’s game and the series against the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins. A win would also push the Guardians back over .500 on the season.

Over the last week, Andres Gimenez has been the hottest hitter in the Guardians’ lineup. In that span he is hitting .250/.318/.650 with two home runs, five runs batted in, and four runs scored. He will look to add onto his hot week in the finale Sunday.

The Guardians have not had much success in the limited exposure they have had to Twins’ starter Joe Ryan. In a combined 24 at bats, the Guardians have just two hits, by Amed Rosario and Myles Straw.

Twins Look To Hold Ground In AL Central

After getting off to a hot start, the Twins still maintain a two-game lead in the AL Central. With both the Guardians and Chicago White Sox having winning records over their last 10 games, though, the Twins are trying to hold their ground as division leaders.

Leading the team offensively for Minnesota is outfielder Byron Buxton. This season, he is hitting .259/.333/.691 with 10 home runs, 18 runs batted in, and 19 runs scored.

In their careers against McKenzie, both Gio Urshela and Ryan Jeffers have taken the righty deep.

Cleveland Has Great Opportunity To Cut Into Deficit

Anytime that you can win a series on the road, it is a huge boost for a club’s standings and morale. That is only intensified when it is against your division rivals.

On Sunday, the Guardians will be looking for exactly that as they have the opportunity to take a series on the road from the division-leading Twins.

Triston McKenzie has been sensational in the early going this season and his presence gives the Guardians a great opportunity to pick up the win. It is worth noting that Joe Ryan has also been exceptional to start the year, but he showed in his last start he is not immune to rough starts.

If McKenzie can contain the Twins and the offense can scratch out a handful of runs, Cleveland should have a happy flight Sunday as they head off to their next series back at home against Cincinnati.