by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Aug 28, 2021
Game time: 2:10 p.m. ET
Venue: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
Where to watch: Bally Sports Wisconsin, Bally Sports North
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Brewers -155, Twins +135
BetMGM: Brewers -160, Twins +135
FanDuel: Brewers -154, Twins +130
Season record (entering Saturday)
Brewers: 78-51 (1st place, NL Central)
Twins: 56-72 (Last place, AL Central)
Jack Banks went 4-0 the last two nights and is 13-4 in his last 17 MLB plays. Jack is involved in one game on Saturday, his MLB Bank Job Game of the Month. Jack has nailed over 63 percent of his Game of the Month releases over the last 2 years. Check out Jack and other plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Brewers - Twins preview and analysis
Recent form (entering Saturday)
Brewers: 6-4 in last 10
Twins: 4-6 in last 10
It’s certainly not time to panic yet, because baseball is a fickle thing and we shouldn’t be looped into such tomfoolery.
But the Milwaukee Brewers have suddenly forgotten how to score.
The Brewers have scored a total of one run in the last two games entering Friday, which included a 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins in the first game of their three-game series. The series will conclude Sunday at Target Field as the National League Central leaders will try to get back to that sort of business again.
Milwaukee scored one Thursday in a 5-1 loss, and the offense apparently stayed back in Milwaukee. The Brewers came to Target Field and only concocted five hits, with Kolten Wong supplying two of those base knocks. Andrew Albers mowed down the lineup with only three hits over 5.1 innings.
At the time of publishing, Saturday’s game is still ongoing and perhaps the bats are slowly starting to wake up, but it’s been a strange 48 hours to say the least for the Brewers. They lead the Cincinnati Reds by 7.5 games for first place in the NL Central entering Saturday night. Aaron Ashby is expected to take the mound for Milwaukee in Sunday’s finale.
The only thing Minnesota needed Friday was a two-run home run from Josh Donaldson, which isn’t going to move the needle in the American League Central standings, but still show the Twins can play spoiler.
The Twins entered Saturday having lost five of seven, but they’ve played tough against the likes of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. And now with the Brewers coming to town for this interleague contest, they’ve shown the ability to be a tough out against anybody.
Griffin Jax is expected to start in the finale Sunday, following Charlie Barnes’ outing Saturday. Jax is 3-2 with a 6.29 ERA in seven starts this season.
Prediction
The real test of a great team is how do you find the answers through the slightest bit of adversity. We love the Brewers for the fact they’ve been this good this long for this reason. Milwaukee should handle business as planned. Brewers win 5-2.
Betting trends
The Brewers entered Saturday at 42-22 (+16.1 net games on the money line) on the road this season.
The over is 39-16 in games where the Twins have been an underdog.
Key injuries
Brewers: SP Freddy Peralta (shoulder, 10-day IL)
Twins: C Mitch Garver (undisclosed, 10-day IL), SP Kenta Maeda (forearm, out for season)
Players to watch
Brewers: Avisail Garcia is continuing his under-the-radar MVP campaign. In August, he’s batting .322 and six homers.
Twins: Josh Donaldson hasn’t hit the ball well like his MVP days, but he’s driven in 11 of his 12 RBI since Aug. 15.
Projected lineup
Brewers:
Kolten Wong (L) 2B
Willy Adames (R) DH
Christian Yelich (L) LF
Avisail Garcia (R) RF
Luis Urias (R) SS
Lorenzo Cain (R) CF
Rowdy Tellez (L) 1B
Manny Pina (R) C
Jace Peterson (L) 3B
Twins:
Luis Arraez (L) DH
Byron Buxton (R) CF
Jorge Polanco (S) 2B
Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
Max Kepler (L) RF
Miguel Sano (R) 1B
Brent Rooker (R) LF
Ryan Jeffers (R) C
Andrelton Simmons (R) SS
Statistical leaders
Brewers:
Batting average: Avisail Garcia (.275)
Hits: Avisail Garcia (108)
Home runs: Avisail Garcia (24)
RBI: Avisail Garcia (76)
Stolen bases: Kolten Wong & Lorenzo Cain (9)
Wins: Brent Suter (12)
Saves: Josh Hader (27)
ERA: Corbin Burnes (2.30)
Twins:
Batting average: Jorge Polanco (.272)
Hits: Jorge Polanco (125)
Home runs: Jorge Polanco (24)
RBI: Jorge Polanco (76)
Stolen bases: Jorge Polanco (10)
Wins: Kenta Maeda (6)
Saves: Hansel Robles (10)
ERA: N/A
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
