Guardians To Take Series Against Division Rival Twins
Twins vs Guardians MLB Odds Favor Home Team
The slumping Minnesota Twins try to rebound when they face division rivals, Cleveland Guardians in a three-game series beginning Friday. Both are part of a tight race in the AL Central, but both come into this series off a loss. The Twins vs Guardians MLB odds have Cleveland slightly favored at -125. The over/under is set at 8.5 leaning to the under (-115).
Minnesota got swept at home in a three-game series by the New York Yankees, getting shut out in the final two contests. The Minnesota Twins standings show them sitting in third place in the division, one game behind the second-place Kansas City Royals.
Cleveland had its three-game winning streak snapped by the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. The Guardians are atop the division, leading the Royals by 1.5 games.
The MLB betting odds for the series opener have Cleveland favored to get the straight-up win. Minnesota is getting +105 odds to come out on top on Friday. Betting on the run line will get you the Twins at -205 when they are getting 1.5 runs, while the Guardians are +170 when giving those runs.
The series opens with a 7:10 p.m. ET start on Friday, followed by Saturday’s contest at 6:10 p.m. ET. The final game of the series is scheduled for a 1:40 p.m. ET first pitch.
Twins vs Guardians 
Records: Minnesota Twins (24-19), Cleveland Guardians (27-17)
Day/Time:
Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH
Stream: ATV+
Pitching Matchups
âš¾ Game 1 âš¾
- Simeon Woods Richardson (Minnesota) vs Triston McKenzie (Cleveland)
Minnesota will have right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson getting the start for the series opener on Friday. The 23-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in five starts this season, striking out 23 in 25 innings of work. He’s coming off his worst start of the campaign, going 4.1 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday and allowing five runs on eight hits, including two home runs.
Right-hander Triston McKenzie makes the start for the Guardians in the series opener, looking to continue his hot month of May. The 26-year-old is 2-3 with a 3.54 ERA on the season, but in three May starts, he has a 1.93 ERA in 18.2 innings of work.
He took a hard-luck loss in his last start, going 6.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits against the Chicago White Sox in a 3-1 Guardians setback.
âš¾ Game 2 âš¾
- Bailey Ober (Minnesota) vs Logan Allen (Cleveland)
One of the favorites of Minnesota sports betting this season will make the start on Saturday, as righty Bailey Ober brings a 4-1 record and 3.77 ERA to the mound. He has struck out 45 batters in 43 innings. The 28-year-old is coming off a gem against the Blue Jays on Sunday, throwing 6.1 shutout innings and allowing just one hit while striking out 10 and walking none.
The Guardians are scheduled to have lefty Logan Allen making his 10th start of the season on Saturday. Allen is 4-2 with a 5.56 ERA, recording 36 strikeouts in 45.1 innings. The 25-year-old was very good in his last outing, throwing six shutout innings against the White Sox, allowing six hits while striking out three.
That was a complete turnaround from his previous start when he gave up seven runs on seven hits (including two home runs) in just 2.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers.
âš¾ Game 3 âš¾
- Chris Paddack (Minnesota) vs Tanner Bibee (Cleveland)
The series finale will see right-hander Chris Paddack on the mound for the Twins. Paddack is 4-2 with a 4.89 ERA in eight starts this season, striking out 41 in 42.1 innings. He had a tough start against the Yankees on Tuesday, going five innings and allowing five runs on 12 hits. He’s been up and down in 2024, with three of his last five starts seeing him go at least five innings and allow one or fewer runs.
Cleveland will turn to Tanner Bibee to wrap up the series on Sunday. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA in nine starts, recording 48 strikeouts in 45.2 innings. Bibee is looking to build upon his last outing, which saw him throw 5.1 shutout innings against the Rangers on Monday, allowing just three hits. It was a bounce-back performance from his previous two starts when he allowed 10 runs over nine combined innings.
Even Series Shows Up On Offense As Well
Both of these MLB teams have been successful this season, and that includes at the plate. Cleveland is the higher-scoring team, ranking in the top 10 in baseball with 209, but Minnesota isn’t far behind, ranking in the top 15 with 196. This impacts the Twins vs Guardians MLB odds.
Catcher Ryan Jeffers leads the Twins attack, pacing the team in most major offensive categories. He’s batting .283 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 31 RBI and 22 runs scored. He got rest on Thursday after a 0-for-3 day on Wednesday. But he’d hit home runs in the previous two contests.
The Guardians may have a couple of players in the MLB MVP race. First baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Jose Ramirez rank among the league leaders in some major categories.
Naylor is tied for second in baseball in home runs with 12, adding a .261 batting average, eight doubles, 33 RBI (tied for eighth in the majors), and 23 runs scored.
Ramirez is second in baseball in RBI with 37, adding six doubles, a triple, nine home runs, and 27 runs scored.
Guardians Earn Series Win
The Twins vs Guardians MLB odds favor Cleveland in the opener, and we like the home team to come out on top in a majority of the MLB games in this series. Cleveland has the better offense and should be able to improve on its 12-6 mark at Progressive Field.
The Guardians won the first two matchups between these clubs this MLB season. They were in early April (the third game was postponed) and that continues this weekend.
Put your MLB bets on Cleveland to build on its lead in the AL Central race.
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