The Minnesota Twins will head south to Busch Stadium to square off against the St. Louis Cardinals. Fox Sports North is in line to broadcast this interleague showdown and the game gets underway at 8:10 p.m. ET.
Minnesota Twins vs. St. Louis Cardinals Odds
St. Louis (-135) is the favorite over Minnesota (+125) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this night game at 8.5 runs (-120 for the over and +100 for the under). The games runline odds sit at -170 for taking the Twins +1.5 runs and +150 for the Cardinals -1.5.
The Cardinals are 20-12 SU and 16-15 ATS. The teams gained 4.0 units for moneyline bettors and 0.1 units against the spread (ATS). The Twins are 13-17 SU and have gone 16-13 ATS. Overall, the teams lost 6.0 units for gamblers taking the moneyline in the seasons early going, but have gained 0.7 units ATS.
St. Louis games have had an over/under record of 14-15-2 so far in 2018. Minnesota has an over/under record of 17-12.
Right-hander Fernando Romero will get the nod for the visiting Twins. Romero is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and five strikeouts. He has yet to face the Cardinals this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Cardinals will put the ball in the right hand of John Gant (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who’s got one strikeouts and zero walks this season as well as a 0.00 WHIP. Gant did not record a start against the Twins in 2017.
Minnesota’s pitchers have allowed 5.3 runs per game and its starters own a 4.53 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 9.06 K/9. The bullpen has managed an ERA of 5.56, along with a WHIP of 1.37 and a K/9 of 9.77.
Twins hitters have slashed .241/.317/.414 on their way to 4.3 runs scored per game in 2018, including 5.1 runs per game over the teams last 10 games and 5.6 per game over the teams last five outings (4-1 SU).
Minnesota’s offense has been powered by shortstop Eduardo Escobar and first baseman Joe Mauer. Escobar is slashing .311/.364/.623 with six home runs, 18 RBIs and 20 runs scored, while Mauer (.291/.434/.388) has produced one homers, eight RBIs and 16 runs scored.
In the home-team dugout, St. Louis pitching staff has yielded 3.6 runs per game overall this season. The clubs starters have a 3.19 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 3.38 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 8.2 K/9.
The St. Louis offense is putting up 4.6 runs per contest, including 4.1 per game over its last 10 games and 4.2 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .223/.338/.410 over its last five matchups and is 5-0 SU during that span.
Tommy Pham and Jedd Gyorko have led the way for the Cardinals batters this year. Pham is slashing .323/.442/.535 with five home runs, 14 RBIs, 24 runs and seven steals, while Gyorko’s line is .375/.500/.719 with 12 hits, six RBIs and eight runs.
Compared to his total season slash line of .306/.411/.520, Pham didn’t do as well batting against righties at home last season, slashing .257/.377/.355 over 183 such plate appearances.
The Twins have lost 6.5 units and are 12-11 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this season. The over has hit in 14 of those games, compared to nine that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Cardinals have netted 1.4 units and are 10-12 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over has hit in 10 of those games, as opposed to 10 that’ve gone under.
Minnesota Twins at St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Cardinals, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – UNDER
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in only two of St. Louis last seven games.
- Minnesota has posted 23.3 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 22.8 over its last five.
- The Twins have hit 14 home runs in their last 10 games, including eight over their last five.
