Toronto Blue Jays vs Minnesota Twins Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/26/2023

Game Time: 8:10 pm ET, Friday, May 26, 2023

Venue:  Target Field, Minneapolis, MN

Where to Watch:  BSN

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -165, Twins +140; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -165, Twins +140; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -165, Twins +140; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  26-24 (4th place, AL East)

Minnesota Twins:  26-24 (1st place, AL Central)

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Toronto Blue Jays:  2-8 last 10

Minnesota Twins:  4-6 last 10

The Blue Jays are entering this game off of a loss in their last game and got swept in their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 26-24 record overall and have a road record of 13-15. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Twins on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .755 OPS. Alek Manoah is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Kevin Gausman is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 2-3 with a 3.14 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 4 Ks on 6 hits through 8 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Twins are entering this game off of a win in their last game but lost their 3-game series against the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 26-24 record overall and have a home record of 15-10. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Blue Jays on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 15th in the MLB with a .717 OPS. Joe Ryan was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Louie Varland is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 2-0 with a 4.18 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 1 BB with 4 strikeouts on 6 hits through 5 innings played against the Los Angeles Angels.

The current betting odds have the Blue Jays listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Blue Jays haven't looked good at all lately as they are in the middle of a bad slump but a lot of their losses lately have been coming against division opponents and they play in a very good division where every team is above .500. Their offense started to wake up in Tampa though and they have started to break out of their slump after a massive game where they put up 20 runs on the Rays. The Blue jays will use that recent offensive success to propel themselves forward here and now they are catching a break with a Twins team who leads their division with the same overall record as the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays also have the better pitching matchup here with Gausman on the mound as he has been improving again in his starts lately and will continue to bounce back from his rough stretch that he was in. Varland is starting for the Twins and he hasn't been great this season, also being a really young and inexperienced starter that will get hit hard in this game with the Blue Jays lineup starting to get hot again. The best way to place a bet here is on the Blue Jays to win this game.

Blue Jays Twins Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, May 26, 2023 (8:10 pm ET start time) is Blue Jays 6 Twins 2.

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Toronto Blue Jays: 17-17 (-8.9 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 8-14 (-11.2 units) on the moneyline in May games. 10-5 OVER as a road favorite of -110 or higher. 17-10 OVER in road games.

Minnesota Twins: 24-10 (+9 units) on the moneyline at home when the total is 7 to 7.5. 60-50 (+6.3 units) on the moneyline after batting .225 or worse over a 5 game span. 12-7 OVER after 3 consecutive games versus an interleague opponent. 9-5 OVER after 3 or more consecutive home games.

Toronto Blue Jays:  D. Jansen (C) Ques Thurs - Groin. M. White (SP) Early June - Elbow. S. Espinal (2B) Early June - Hamstring. Z. Pop (RP) Early June - Hamstring. C. Green (RP) Late July - Elbow. H. Ryu (SP) Mid July - Elbow.

Minnesota Twins:  C. Correa (SS) Ques Fri - Heel. J. Gallo (LF) Ques Fri - Hamstring. T. Larnach (RF) Out indefinitely - Illness. K. Maeda (SP) Mid June - Tricep. J. Alcala (RP) Out indefinitely - Forearm. G. Celestino (CF) Early June - Thumb. M. Kepler (CF) Early June - Hamstring. J. Polanco (SS) Early June - Hamstring. N. Gordon (2B) Out indefinitely - Shin. T. Mahle (SP) out for season - Elbow. C. Thielbar (RP) Out indefinitely - Oblique. R. Lewis (SS) Early July - Knee. C. Paddack (SP) Early Sept - Elbow.

“We'll see how he feels tomorrow. We're just trying to be a little bit proactive with it. Just kind of taking it literally minute by minute right now." - John Schneider after his team’s loss against the Rays in their game on Wednesday.

“I don’t know how many foul balls they hit today; it seemed like every pitch ... it was definitely more grindy. I think just having good support from the offense today — Julien starting off hot was awesome and I think just shows (when you're) hitting the ball hard, good things happen.” - Joe Ryan after their win against the Giants in their game on Wednesday.

George Springer (R) DH

Bo Bichette (R) SS

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B

Matt Chapman (R) 3B

Whit Merrifield (R) LF

Danny Jansen (R) C

Daulton Varsho (L) CF

Ernie Clement (R) 2B

Nathan Lukes (L) RF

Edouard Julien (L) 2B

Byron Buxton (R) DH

Donovan Solano (R) 3B

Alex Kirilloff (L) 1B

Kyle Farmer (R) SS

Willi Castro (S) LF

Matt Wallner (L) RF

Ryan Jeffers (R) C

Michael A. Taylor (R) CF

Batting Average:  Ernie Clement (.333)

Hits:  Bo Bichette (70)

Home Runs:  Bo Bichette (9)

RBI:  Vladimir Guerrero (34)

Stolen Bases:  Whit Merrifield (14)

Wins:  Chris Bassitt (5)

Saves:  Jordan Romano (10)

ERA:  Thomas Hatch (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jorge Polanco (.284)

Hits:  Byron Buxton (39)

Home Runs:  Joey Gallo (11)

RBI:  Trevor Larnach (27)

Stolen Bases:  Willi Castro (7)

Wins:  Joe Ryan (7)

Saves:  Jhoan Duran (7)

ERA:  Brock Stewart (0.00)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (2nd season)

Minnesota Twins: Rocco Baldelli (5th season)