Minnesota Twins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Prediction 8-6-23 MLB Picks

The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Minnesota Twins meet in the finale of their three-game MLB interleague series from Target Field on Sunday. The Twins have dominated the first two games of this series, can they pull off the sweep? Or will Arizona salvage a much-needed win for this series? Let’s dive in and find out.

Diamondbacks Get Blown Out Saturday

The Arizona Diamondbacks are in freefall right now and are in dire need of a win to bounce back after their 12-1 beatdown loss at the hands of the Twins on Saturday. The loss spiraled the D-Backs to 57-55 on the year, sitting 7.5 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West race and 1.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race. Christian Walker leads the Diamondbacks with 22 home runs and 68 RBIs while Ketel Marte has a team-high 115 hits and a .285 batting average. Corbin Carroll also has 21 home runs and a team-high 35 stolen bases, and is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year in the National League. Zac Gallen will get the start for Arizona here and is 11-5 with a 3.41 ERA and 149 strikeouts this season.

Arizona Diamondbacks Team Facts

• The Diamondbacks have lost each of their last nine day games after playing the previous day.
• The Diamondbacks have failed to cover the run line in each of their last seven games as favourites.
• The Diamondbacks have trailed after 5 innings in each of their last seven day games against American League opponents.
• The Diamondbacks have lost the first inning in each of their last three Sunday games as road favourites against AL Central opponents.
• The Diamondbacks have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last seven games at Target Field.

Twins Pick Up Another Win

The Minnesota Twins are in a tight race themselves in the AL Central, so Saturday’s win over Arizona was big in the grand scheme of things, bringing the Twins to 58-54 on the year, leading the AL Central by 3.5 games. Joey Gallo leads the Twins with 17 home runs while Byron Buxton  and Max Kepler all have 17 dingers this season. Carlos Correa has a team-high 46 RBIs and 86 hits as well as leading the Twins in doubles with 23 two-baggers this season. Dallas Keuchel will make his 2023 debut here after going 2-9 with a 9.20 ERA and 45 strikeouts last season.

Minnesota Twins Team Facts

• The Twins have won each of their last seven home games against the Diamondbacks.
• The Twins have failed to cover the run line in seven of their last eight games following a win.
• The Twins have won the first inning in each of their last three day games against the Diamondbacks.
• The Twins have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last five day games.
• The Twins have led after 7 innings in each of their last seven games against the Diamondbacks at Target Field.

Minnesota Twins Player Prop Facts

• Willi Castro ranks 6th in the league in Steals (28) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Minnesota Twins ranks 1st in the league for strikeouts this season (1072).
• The Minnesota Twins ranks 30th in the league for strikeouts against this season (1153).
• The Arizona Diamondbacks ranks 2nd in the league for triples this season (26).
• The Arizona Diamondbacks ranks 3rd in the league for steals this season (111).

Chris’ Pick

As bad as they’ve been playing, I have to side with Arizona here. The Diamondbacks just have a massive edge in starting pitching here with Gallen over Keuchel, and while Keuchel’s pitched well in his minor league outings, we know what he’s fully capable of and the damage he’s capable of at the major league level. All in all, Gallen is Arizona’s stopper and I think he guides them to a win in this one.