Minnesota Twins at St. Louis Cardinals odds, picks and predictions

The Minnesota Twins (55-53) will play the 2nd game of a 3-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals (47-61) on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Twins vs. Cardinals odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.

Season series: Twins lead 1-0

The Twins defeated the Cardinals 3-2 on Tuesday to snap a 5-game losing streak. Despite its recent woes, Minnesota is still 2 games ahead of the Cleveland Guardians atop the AL Central.

In Tuesday’s 1-run loss, OF Tyler O’Neill hit his 3rd homer of the season. St. Louis has lost 4 of its last 5 games and remains in last place in the NL Central.

Twins at Cardinals projected starters

RHP Joe Ryan vs. RHP Dakota Hudson

Ryan (9-7, 4.06 ERA) makes his 22nd start. He has a 1.09 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9 and 10.9 K/9 in 122 innings.

• Last start: Loss, 3 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 7 K in 8-7 home loss vs. Seattle Mariners July 26
• Road stats: 3-3, 4.23 ERA (55 1/3 IP, 26 ER) in 10 starts
• Never faced Cardinals before

Hudson (1-0, 4.19 ERA) makes his 2nd start and 8th appearance. He has a 1.60 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9 and 6.1 K/9 in 19 1/3 innings.

• Last outing: No-decision, 4 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, 3 K in relief during 10-3 home loss vs. Chicago Cubs Thursday
• Last start: No-decision, 3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 K in 6-4 home win vs. Miami Marlins July 19
• Home stats: 1-0, 4.73 ERA (13 1/3 IP, 7 ER) in 4 games (1 start)
• Never faced Twins before

Twins at Cardinals odds

BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:44 a.m. ET.

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Twins at Cardinals picks and predictions

Prediction

Twins 6, Cardinals 4

With how these teams have performed this season, I’ll take the TWINS (-140) on the road in Wednesday’s contest. Ryan has also been solid this season, while the Cardinals could have a bullpen game with Hudson not pitching deep into games.

TWINS -1.5 (+115) has solid value with Hudson taking the mound for the Cardinals. Minnesota is 5th in ISO (.215), 5th in wOBA (.352), and is tied for 3rd in wRC+ (127) against right-handed pitching since the start of July.

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OVER 9 (+100) is the play in this showdown despite Tuesday’s game being a low-scoring affair. Besides the Twins’ numbers from above, the Cardinals also boast the 9th-best wOBA (.344) and wRC+ (119) against right-handed pitching since the beginning of July.

The Twins are 13-5 to the Over in their last 18 games, while the Cardinals are 26-18 to the Over in their last 44 home games.

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