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Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers Game 1 – 9/4/20 MLB Pick, Odds, and Prediction


2020-09-04 14:10:00 EDT

The Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins meet Friday in MLB action from Target Field. 

This will be game one of a series-opening doubleheader between these teams. The Tigers are coming out of a pair versus the Brewers. Detroit won Tuesday’s game 12-1 but fell Wednesday 8-5. As for the Twins, they just played the White Sox. Minnesota lost the first game of that set but won Tuesday 3-2 and Wednesday 8-1 to take the series. Check back all season long for free MLB picks and MLB predictions at Sports Chat Place. 

The Tigers have gotten a few pretty good offensive performances this year. Jonathan Schoop leads the team on 39 hits with eight homers, 20 RBI and 20 runs on a .310 batting average. Victor Reyes has also been solid and is hitting .298 with 34 hits, 21 runs, three homers and 11 RBI for Detroit. 

For the Friday starting outing, the Tigers are going with Matthew Boyd. Over seven starts this season, Boyd is 1-4 with a 7.27 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 34.2 innings total. In his career, Boyd is 32-51 with a 5.04 ERA and 671 Ks in 680.0 innings. 

Over on the Twins’ side, Nelson Cruz is having a great 2020 and leading the offense on a .326 batting average with 13 homers, 29 RBI and 27 runs. Eddie Rosario is hitting a tepid .239 but has eight homers and 25 RBI. Miguel Sano is in that same neighborhood with a .243 average, eight homers and 16 RBI. 

For Friday’s starting pitcher role, the Twins are going with Randy Dobnak. This year over seven starts, Dobnak is 5-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work. Across his MLB career, Dobnak has a 7-3 record with a 2.43 ERA and 40 Ks in 63.0 innings.

The Tigers are 20-44 in the last 64 Friday games and 16-36 in their last 52 during game one of a series. Detroit is 18-43 in their last 61 road games and 46-111 in their last 157 overall. 

Meanwhile, the Twins are 6-2 in their last eight home games versus a left-handed starter and 19-7 in their last 26 home games. Minnesota is 24-10 in their last 34 during game one of a series and 7-3 in their last 10 games following an off day. 

Pick: I’m leaning Twins here. Granted, doubleheaders are always tough, but it’s safe to assume both teams are looking to get some length from their starters here. Dobnak coughed up six runs on 12 hits to the Tigers back on Saturday, which was the first time in his career he’s given up more than two earned. Boyd had six innings and two runs in that same game, so this will be a nice rematch. I think Dobnak will bounce back and get Minnesota in a good spot, though. 

Andrew's Free Pick: Minnesota Twins -180

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Andrew

Andrew has been writing about college, professional and fantasy sports betting since 2013. Andrew's goal is to break down the complicated numbers and trends into a language that's easily accessible to novice sports bettors and seasoned professionals alike.

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