The Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins meet Thursday in MLB action from Target Field. Here’s a Guardians vs Twins prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for the game. We will examine:
- The Cleveland Guardians recent form and player performance
- The Minnesota Twins recent form and player performance
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Cleveland Guardians
- Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Minnesota Twins
- Recent betting trends in games played between the Guardians and Twins
- A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Guardians vs Twins game
Cleveland Guardians Betting Preview
The Guardians took on the Seattle Mariners in their first series this week. After a 5-4 win Monday, Cleveland lost 5-2 in game two. In the rubber match the Guardians took a shutout win 8-0. Starter Logan Allen lasted 6.2 clean frames with four hits and three walks. Josh Naylor added three RBI as well.
In the Thursday opener versus the Twins, the Guardians will send out Tanner Bibee. Last year Bibee went 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA over 25 starts. In his first appearance of the 2024 season, Bibee struggled a bit with 4.0 innings, three earned, six hits and five walks. The Guardians will take on the White Sox after this series.
Minnesota Twins Betting Preview
Over on the Minnesota side, they’re fresh off a pair of games versus the Milwaukee Brewers. The Twins took a tough loss 3-2 in game one. In Wednesday’s matchup, Minnesota scored five runs in the seventh inning and held on for the 7-3 win. Alex Kirilloff led the way on four hits and two runs, while Carlos Correa had two runs and two walks.
It’ll be Pablo Lopez in the starting role for the Twins on Thursday. Last season Lopez went 11-8 in 32 starts with a 3.66 ERA and 234 Ks in 194.0 innings. Lopez got a win in his first start this season, posting one earned over 7.0 innings on four hits, no walks and seven Ks. The Twins will play against the Dodgers and Tigers following this series.
Minnesota Twins Team Facts
- The Twins have lost each of their last eight day games against the Guardians following a road win.
- The Twins have failed to cover the run line each of their last six home games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- The Twins have trailed after 7 innings in four of their last five games as favorites against American League opponents.
- The Twins have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last four day games against opponents that held a winning record.
- The Twins have trailed after 5 innings in six of their last nine games as home favorites against American League opponents.
Cleveland Guardians Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the Guardians’ last four games.
- The Guardians have covered the run line 14 of their last 15 road games against AL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- The Guardians have led after 5 innings in seven of their last nine games as underdogs against American League opponents.
- The ‘Inning 1 UNDER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the Guardians’ last four games at Target Field.
- The Guardians have led after 7 innings in four of their last five games as road underdogs.
Guardians vs Twins Prediction
I’m going to lean toward the Twins. You could make a case either way here, though; it’ll be a fun matchup. Both starters should be strong as well. Bibee had a bit of a rough outing in his first action of 2024 but should be able to find his form. As for Lopez, he looked great against the Royals last week with 7.0 one-earned innings in a 4-1 win.
On Wednesday in the Brewers finale, the Twins got a solid outing from starter Chris Paddack (4.0 innings; two earned) and the bullpen held together well. The relievers combined for just one earned on one hit and one walk over 5.0 innings. If Minnesota can keep that momentum going they’ll be in great shape Thursday.