Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians Betting Preview

This is the second of a three-game series. On Monday, the Indians took the first game 5-3 in ten innings. 

In the win, both Jose Ramirez and Jordan Luplow homered for the Tribe. Luplow’s was actually a walk-off home run in the tenth inning. Emmanuel Clase picked up the win in relief.

In the loss, outfielder Brent Rooker hit his first home run of the season. Alex Colome took the loss in relief.

The Twins are the slight favorites despite playing on the road. They are -115 to win while the Indians’ moneyline sits at -105. The runline features the Indians +1.5 while the over/under for total runs is 7.5.

Pitching Matchup

Minnesota will send Kenta Maeda (1-1, 5.60 ERA) to the mound Monday. In his last outing, a 13-12 loss to the Athletics, Maeda was roughed up. He lasted just three innings giving up eight hits, seven runs, and striking out just one. He also gave up three home runs in the outing.

The Cleveland Indians will counter with Aaron Civale (3-0, 2.42 ERA). He went 5.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and striking out six in his last start. Of concern, he did give up four walks in the 6-3 loss to the Yankees.

By The Number

Offensively, Minnesota holds a slight edge. They currently rank 17th in runs per game at 4.25. The Indians rank 25th, averaging 3.80 runs per game.

Defensively, it is Cleveland with a big advantage. They rank sixth in the majors in runs allowed per game at 3.80. The Twins fall to 23rd, allowing 4.70 runs per game.

Twins Try To Bounce Back In Game Two

After taking a 2-0 lead early in the game, the Twins saw the Indians chip away at their lead and ultimately win it in extra innings. Now in fourth place in the AL Central and seven games behind the first-place Royals, the Twins know they need to bounce back in game two.

Leading the way offensively for Minnesota is designated hitter Nelson Cruz. In 66 at-bats, Cruz is hitting .318/.356/.667 with a team-leading seven home runs and fifteen runs batted in.

Cruz has also had success against Civale in his career. He is two for six with a home run.

Aside from Cruz, catcher Mitch Garver has also had success against the Indians’ hurler. He is also two for six, with both of his hits being solo home runs.

Indians Try To Win Series Tuesday

After taking the first game of the series in extra innings, the Cleveland Indians would love nothing more than to secure a series win on Tuesday by taking down the Twins again.

One person to watch in this contest is second baseman, Cesar Hernandez. He has struggled this season, hitting .188/.293/.250, but he has success against Kenta Maeda. In fact, he is hitting .304 against the righty in 23 at-bats with a couple of solo home runs.

The only other player that has homered off of Maeda is Franmil Reyes, but that has been his only hit against him in 14 at-bats. 

Indians Try To Ride The Hot Hand Of Civale

The Cleveland Indians already have some momentum coming into this game after winning in extras on Monday. To add to their momentum, they have one of their best pitchers on the mound in Aaron Civale.

Still, the Indians’ bats will need to do their part against a tough Kenta Maeda. His stats may not look dominant to start this season, but he is capable of putting together a quality start any time he takes the mound.

Regardless, this should be a great matchup between division foes.