The Minnesota Twins visit Fenway Park on Thursday night, where they will take on the Boston Red Sox. First pitch is at 6:10 pm central. Minnesota is currently sitting at 47-53, good enough for second place in the American League Central division, a division which is having a down year. They are 7 and a half games behind the Cleveland Indians for first place in the division. Boston, however, it sitting atop the American League East division. They have a great 71-32 record, and are 5 and a half games ahead of the second place team, the New York Yankees. Boston is favored in this matchup, at -168.
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Pitching Matchup
Kyle Gibson is getting the starting nod for the Twins this game. He is coming off of an outing against the Kansas City Royals, where he was torched over 5.1 innings for 4 runs on six hits. Gibson is 4-7 on the year, a record which would make losing to the Royals even more frustrating. It would be tough for him to go into a game against the Red Sox with any sort of confidence. He has also posted a mediocre 3.57 ERA so far.
For Boston, Brian Johnson will be on the mound. Johnson is also somewhat struggling this season. According to MLB.com, he is moving to the bullpen after this start. HE surely will be looking to leave on a high note so as to get consideration in the case of a possible injury to one of Boston’s starters. During his starting tenure this season, he is 1-3, and owns a 3.81 ERA. He also recently struggles against an AL central team, having taken the loss in his last start to the Detroit Tigers, a team that seems to be somewhat heating up. Both runs he gave up were unearned, however.
Minnesota Twins
Eddie Rosario is one of the leading bats for the Twins thus far. He is hitting .310, and adds 19 home runs to his stats. He has also driven in 62 runs, one less than the team leader. That RBI team leader is Eduardo Escobar. Escobar’s batting average (.274) isn’t exactly where Rosario’s is, but he has proven himself to be a clutch hitter with all his runs that he has driven in. He also has hit 15 home runs. Joe Mauer, the veteran catcher turned first baseman, is still hitting a respectable .284, with a team high .368 on base percentage.
Boston Red Sox
It is tough to say anything bad about Boston, especially considering they are, among most experts, the best team in baseball. MVP candidate Mookie Betts is doing it all, from the plate and the field. He is leading the team (And the entire league) with his .351 batting average. He also has a team high .437 on base percentage. His teammate, J.D. Martinez is leading the league currently in home runs, with 32. He is also leading the league in runs batted in, with 86. Having all this power combined with a .325 batting average is a rare and dangerous combination. He has also walked 39 times, which shows a small lack of plate discipline, but its hard to argue with his other hitting numbers.
Red Sox Top Twins
The probable ending to this game is that things will go as they are supposed to: the better team will prevail. The Boston Red Sox, this season, are far superior to the Minnesota Twins. Sure, Brian Johnson could totally blow the game, but I would bet that he will bring his best stuff as an audition for a future injury replacement. Bet on the Boston Red Sox at -168.
- Bet on the Boston Red Sox -168
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- Bet on the Minnesota Twins +145
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