Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction 8-30-23 MLB Picks
The Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins meet in the finale of their three-game AL Central division series from Target Field on Wednesday. Both teams have one win in this series, what happens in the rubber match? Let’s dive in and find out.
Guardians Get Bounce Back W
The Cleveland Guardians really needed a bounce back performance and got one in the form of a 4-2 win over the Twins on Tuesday. The win pushed Cleveland up to 63-70 on the year, sitting 6 games back in the AL Central race behind Minnesota while also sitting 12.5 games off the pace in the AL Wild Card hunt. Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians with 21 home runs along with 71 RBIs while Josh Naylor has a .306 batting average and 79 RBIs. Ramirez also has a .351 OBP and a team-high 32 doubles while Steven Kwan has a team-high 142 hits and 6 triples with 29 doubles as well. Tanner Bibee will start for the Guardians and is 10-3 with a 3.01 ERA and 117 strikeouts this season.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
- The Guardians have lost each of their last eight games against American League opponents following a win.
- The Guardians have covered the run line 13 of their last 14 road games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- The Guardians have lost the first inning in each of their last four day games against American League opponents.
- The Guardians have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three day games against AL Central opponents.
- The Guardians have trailed after 7 innings in each of their last six day games.
Twins Looking To Rebound On Wednesday
The Minnesota Twins could use a win themselves after Tuesday’s loss to the Guardians. The loss dropped Minnesota to 69-64 on the year, still sitting 6 games clear at the top of the AL Central. Max Kepler leads the Twins with 21 home runs along with 50 RBIs while Joey Gallo also has 20 homers and Byron Buxton has 17 home runs this season. Carlos Correa has a team-high 57 RBIs and 102 hits as well as leading the Twins in doubles with 26 two-baggers this season. Sonny Gray will start for the Twins here and is 7-6 with a 3.06 ERA and 151 strikeouts this season.
Minnesota Twins Team Facts
- The Twins have lost each of their last five games as favorites against AL Central opponents following a loss.
- The Twins have failed to cover the run line in each of their last eight games as favorites against American League opponents following a home loss.
- The 'Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs' market has hit in each of the Twins' last four games.
- The Twins have trailed after 5 innings in four of their last six games as home favorites against AL Central opponents.
- The Twins have trailed after 3 innings in nine of their last 13 games as favorites against AL Central opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Minnesota Twins ranks 30th in the league for strikeouts against this season (1368).
- The Minnesota Twins ranks 1st in the league for strikeouts this season (1257).
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 30th in the league for home runs this season (102).
- The Cleveland Guardians ranks 1st in the league for strikeouts against this season (943).
Chris’ Pick
I’m on the under here. Gray and Bibee have both been pitching well in a lot of their recent starts and both have normally been good for 6-7 innings of two-run ball in a lot of their recent outings. I think this could end up being a low-scoring pitcher’s duel, a first to 3 wins kind of game. Give me the under here.
