Tommy Milone (2-0, 3.38 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (8-10) go up against David Price (1-1, 3.28 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (13-6) in the first of a three-game division series at Target Field. The game starts at 8:10 p.m. ET on Monday, Apr. 27 and will air on FSN-DET and FSN-N.
Milone has a 2.83 ERA and a 3-0 record in his career against the Tigers, but faces a solid Detroit offense that’s hitting .287 on the year. Joe Mauer (.299, 3 Rs, 9 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 5 with three RBIs. In his career against the Twins, Price is 6-3 with a 2.27 ERA. He meets a struggling Minnesota offense that’s batting just .226. Rajai Davis (.341, 11 Rs, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been hitting the ball well to start the season for the Tigers, going 3 for 4 yesterday with three runs.
Minnesota, a +135 underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Detroit. Oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at seven runs. The Twins are 7-9 as the underdog and have an overall money line of -132. They have disappointing records of 6-8 as the underdog and 6-9 SU within their division. The most recent 10 game stretch for Minnesota’s pitching staff has gone great. Over that span, Minnesota’s opponents are averaging 3.4 runs per game, below their season average of 4.7.
Moving on to the opposing team, the Tigers come into this game with a solid win percentage of .643 when playing as the favorite (9-5) and an overall money line of +620. Against teams in their division, they are 10-2 SU and have played well as the favorite with an 8-2 record. Detroit has stepped up their play against division opponents. They have averaged 6.2 runs per game, more than their season average of 4.7. One of the top hitting teams in the AL are the Tigers, who average 9.4 hits per game. The Tigers have racked up 21 steals on the year, making them the most threatening base-running team in the league. Switching gears to Detroit’s pitching staff, they have the fifth-lowest ERA in the AL at 3.58. They also allow just 7.7 hits per game, good for fifth in the AL.
So far this season, the Tigers are 3-0 against the Twins. The Twins will take on a left-hander (Price) in this game and have a 3-4 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – DET, O/U – Under
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Detroit is 7-3, while Minnesota is 0-4.
The Twins managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Tigers who are coming in with a 6-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 0-4. The Twins have a 2-9 record when opponents outhit them.
Minnesota ranks near the bottom of the league at 29th when it comes to home runs, hitting nine this season. Detroit ranks in the top half at 14th with 16.
Ranking 13th, Minnesota is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.53 per game. Detroit ranks in the top five at third with 9.44.
Ranking 28th, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.608). Detroit ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .787.
The Tigers are 3-5 when they allow at least one home run. The Twins perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 5-8 record.
