Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/17/2024

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Venue:  Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch:  BSGL

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Twins +105, Guardians -125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Twins +105, Guardians -125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Twins +105, Guardians -125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Minnesota Twins:  79-70 (3rd place, AL Central)

Cleveland Guardians:  86-64 (1st place, AL Central)

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Minnesota Twins:  4-6 last 10

Cleveland Guardians:  6-4 last 10

The Twins are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 79-70 record overall and have a road record of 37-37. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Guardians on Tuesday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .740 OPS. Pablo López is their starting pitcher on Monday while rookie pitcher Zebby Matthews is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 1-3 with a 7.11 ERA this season. His team lost 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 2 HR, and 2 BB with 5 Ks on 5 hits through 3.1 IP against the Los Angeles Angels.

The Guardians are entering this series off a win and split their 4-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-2 in their last series. They enter this game with a 86-64 record overall and have a home record of 45-27. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Twins on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 16th in the MLB with a .703 OPS. Matthew Boyd is their starting pitcher on Monday while Gavin Williams is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 3-9 with a 5.23 ERA this season. His team lost their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 BB with 5 strikeouts on 7 hits through 5.1 innings played against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The current betting odds have the Guardians listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Guardians have looked great in their games this season with their 86-64 record overall which has them leading the AL Central. They have also looked great in their home games this season with their 45-27 home record. Meanwhile, the Twins have looked good in their games this season with their 79-70 record overall, but that record only has them in 3rd place of the AL Central and fighting for a Wild Card spot. They haven't looked good in their road games either, going 37-37 in their road games this year, and they haven't looked good in their games lately. They are only 4-6 in their last 10 games and have been slipping down the standings with the Royals now ahead of them. The Guardians are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have been trying to lock up the division now. They have the better starting matchup in this one with Williams on the mound here. Williams is 3-9 with a 5.23 ERA and hasn't looked great lately. The team has lost 2 games in a row with him starting and he has been giving up quite a few runs, but he only gave up 3 earned runs in his last start and was a lot better in that one. He has still been better than the Twins starter as the Twins are going with rookie Matthews and he is 1-3 with a 7.11 ERA this season. He only gave up 2 earned runs in his last start, but he has been giving up a ton of runs in his few starts this year and the team has still lost 4 of their last 5 games with him starting. The Guardians also have the better bullpen too and that will give them the edge here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Guardians to win this game. 

Twins Guardians Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, September 17, 2024 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Guardians 5 Twins 3.

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Minnesota Twins: 55-55 (-14.90 units) on the moneyline in their last 110 games. 14-5 to the under with their first 5 team total in their last 19 games. 

Cleveland Guardians: 87-64 (+12.22 units) on the moneyline in their last 151 games. 35-34 (+11.75 units) on the runline in their last 69 games. 35-24 to the under in their last 59 games. 

Minnesota Twins:  K. Funderburk (SP) Sixty Day IL - Oblique. M. Kepler (RF) Ten Day IL - Knee. C. Paddack (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. J. Ryan (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. B. Stewart (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. C. Correa (SS) Ten Day IL - Heel. J. Topa (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. D. Duarte (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. DeSclafani (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Cleveland Guardians:  S. Kwan (LF) Questionable - Fatigue. A. Cobb (SP) Undefined - Finger. S. Hentges (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. C. Carrasco (SP) Undefined - Hip. T. Stephan (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Karinchak (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. S. Bieber (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“Our pitching did a good job of stabilizing the middle of the game, and then the bats were able to break through. We had multiple big hits and big at-bats and guys getting on base. A lot of what we were aiming for, we got.” - Rocco Baldelli after his team’s win against the Reds in their game on Sunday.

"I can’t wait to watch our guys play in big games later in the year and every night. I love watching playing and I think for us we put such an emphasis that every day is a playoff game. [Austin Hedges] said that, and these guys have really owned that all year." - Stephen Vogt on playing in the postseason this year.

Matt Wallner (L) RF

Royce Lewis (R) 3B

Carlos Santana (S) 1B

Trevor Larnach (L) DH

Willi Castro (S) CF

Ryan Jeffers (R) C

Brooks Lee (S) SS

Kyle Farmer (R) 2B

Manuel Margot (R) LF

Angel Martínez (S) LF

Andrés Giménez (L) 2B

José Ramírez (S) DH

Josh Naylor (L) 1B

Lane Thomas (R) CF

Will Brennan (L) RF

Daniel Schneemann (L) 3B

Bo Naylor (L) C

Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

Batting Average:  Michael Helman (.375)

Hits:  Willi Castro (128)

Home Runs:  Carlos Santana (22)

RBI:  Carlos Santana (65)

Stolen Bases:  Willi Castro (13)

Wins:  Pablo López (15)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (23)

ERA:  Scott Blewett (1.23)

Batting Average:  Steven Kwan (.291)

Hits:  José Ramírez (157)

Home Runs:  José Ramírez (35)

RBI:  José Ramírez (107)

Stolen Bases:  José Ramírez (39)

Wins:  Ben Lively (12)

Saves:  Emmanuel Clase (45)

ERA:  Shane Bieber (0.00)

Managers:

Minnesota Twins: Rocco Baldelli (6th season)

Cleveland Guardians: Stephen Vogt (1st season)