The Minnesota Twins will head east to play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. The first pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET and Fox Sports North will broadcast this interleague showdown.
Minnesota Twins vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Odds
Pittsburgh (+160) is coming into this one as the underdog to Minnesota (-180) and Vegas has set the Over/Under for this day game at 8.5 runs (-110 for the over and -110 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the current odds standing at Twins +1.5 runs (+115) and Pirates -1.5 runs (-125).
The Twins have gone 2-1 SU this year and are 2-0 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 0.0 units for moneyline bettors this year and 2.3 units ATS. The Pirates are 3-0 SU and 1-0 ATS. The team has gained 1.0 units for moneyline bettors and 1.2 units ATS.
Pittsburgh games have an over/under record of one-0 in 2018. Twins games have gone under two times, gone over zero times and pushed on zero occasions.
The Pirates are coming off of an 8-6 win against the Tigers, while the Twins just got a 7-0 victory over the Orioles.
Lance Lynn will get the nod for the visiting Twins. The right-handed Lynn started 33 games last year and finished the season 11-8 overall with a 3.43 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He made four starts against the Pirates in 2017 and put together a 2-2 record against them with a 6.86 ERA and 12 strikeouts.
The Bucs are turning to righty Jameson Taillon, who recorded 125 strikeouts over 133 innings last year (25 starts). Taillon finished the season 8-7 overall with a 4.44 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP.
Pittsburgh’s pitchers have given up 5.3 runs per game overall this year as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 3.24, a WHIP of 1.32 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 4.9. The bullpen has a 6.28 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 8.8 K/9.
Pittsburgh’s offense has produced 7.3 runs per contest, including 7.3 per game over its last 10 games and 7.3 per game over its last five. The team’s slashed .284/.341/.466 over its last five games and is 3-0 SU during that span.
The Pirates’ offense has been led by outfielder Gregory Polanco and second baseman Josh Harrison. Polanco is hitting .333/.429/.750 with four hits, five RBIs and three runs scored, while Harrison’s line is .357/.438/.643 with five hits, two RBIs and five runs.
In the visiting dugout, Minnesota’s pitching staff allowed 1.7 runs per game and its starters own a 0.00 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and 8.14 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 6.43, along with a WHIP of 0.62.
The Twins offense has slashed .241/.303/.473 on its way to 5.0 runs scored per game this season, including 5.0 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (2-1 SU).
Minnesota’s offensive production been led by second baseman Dozier Dozier and right fielder Max Kepler. Dozier is hitting .357/.400/.857 with five hits, two RBIs and five runs scored, while Kepler (.300/.462/.700) is up to three hits and one RBI.
Minnesota Twins at Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Pirates, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
The Twins went 0-0 SU against the Pirates last season.
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