Twins to Take 3rd Straight from Tigers in Detroit
Who: Minnesota Twins v. Detroit Tigers
When: Saturday September 23rd, 2017 6:10PM EST
Where: Comerica Park—Detroit, Michigan
The Twins’ 7-3 victory against the Tigers on Friday more or less solidified their position in the post-season in the eyes of many. They are now 3.5 games ahead of the rest of the pack and are laying claim to the second of 2 AL Wild Card spots. The Rangers have been playing well and are closing in, but the Angels have really dropped the ball and have gone from 1 game behind to more than 3. At this point, it seems as though it would take a massive collapse on the part of the Twins for them to be excluded from this year’s post-season.
The Twins have already played 2 of their 4 game series with the Tigers and it is clear to see which is the better of the two sides. Last night, as was mentioned above, the Twins swept aside the Tigers with ease. The series opener saw an even more emphatic 12-1 victory on the part of the Twins. I think the Tigers are the perfect team for Minnesota to be playing right now, and the Twins are taking care of business.
When it comes to Detroit, this has been a season their fans will like to quickly forget, for obvious reasons. Their last few games are a perfect example of that as they will enter game 3 of this series on the back of 5 consecutive losses stretching back to a 3-game series sweep at the hands of the lowly Athletics. I do not foresee the Tigers’ time against the Twins getting any better, especially when you consider who will be gracing the mound for Minnesota on Saturday evening. The Tigers might be able to steal 1 of the 4 games, but it does not seem like that game will be tonight.
Game Overview and Analysis
When the Twins (-159) take the field on Saturday, they will send their ace Ervin Santana (15-8 3.34 ERA) to the mound. Santana has done so well this year, in part, thanks to his ability to keep runs off the board. Even though he is only 4-1 in his last 10 starts, he rarely has given up more than 2 runs in an outing. To make a long story short, even though Santana won’t always earn a victory, he does well to put his team in a position to win. What’s more, Santana regularly gets 6+ strikeouts per start, and when a pitcher can do that it is going to take something special for opposing batters to get runs on the board.
Though we have been talking about the Twins being a shoe-in for the post-season at this point, they did enter this series on the back of a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees. Before that, they lost 2 of 3 to the Blue Jays. Their biggest problem during that poor run was run production. Luckily for them, the Angels were also losing games so even though they recently lost 5 of 6, they were always in that Wild Card spot. Their offense has jumped to life in this series and I fully expect that to continue Saturday evening.
As for the Tigers (+149), they will be sending Matthew Boyd (6-10 5.33 ERA) to the mound and that will have the Twins licking their chops. Boyd has not had a great year and his last 10 games have not been much better. He has lost 5 and won 1 in his last 10 games, and that run perfectly describes the Tigers’ season. I do not think Boyd will be able to keep the hot-hitting Twins at bay and I think it is going to be another rough outing for him. In Boyd’s defense, he does not give up a wealth of earned runs, but when you have an offense as incompetent and inconsistent as the Tigers do, it is always going to be tough to get wins.
Having said this, the Tigers’ starting pitcher did throw a one-hitter against the White Sox in his last start last Sunday. I do not expect that to be repeated this evening, but it is worth mentioning.
Betting Prediction
The moneyline odds on the Twins (-159) as offered by BetOnline are definitely not the best, but I think the moneyline is a wager you should look into. I think the Twins, behind solid pitching by Santana and bats that have been lighting up the scoreboard since Thursday, will emerge victorious in this one rather easily.
The Twins are also -1.5 (-105) favorites on the point spread, and I think this is another bet you need to take. Once again, the Twins, in my opinion, are going to win easily for a third night in a row, and I think their margin of victory will exceed 2 runs with ease.
The Minnesota Twins’ team over/under, that is the total number of runs they will score, is listed at 5.5 (-105/-125). Seeing as the last two night have brought about big run totals for the team from Minnesota, I think the over (-105) is the best bet for you. I also think the odds are enticing enough for it to be worth the risk.