The Toronto Blue Jays (66-70) travel to face off against the Minnesota Twins (72-61) on Friday, August 30th. This game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis and televised on BSN. The Blue Jays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Twins are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Braves. First pitch is set for 7:10 CT.
Blue Jays vs. Twins Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Twins (-156)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 8 Runs
- The Twins have scored 6 or more runs in 5 of their last 15 games.
- The Twins have won 4 out of their last 6 home games.
- The Twins have a higher home win percentage (37-29) compared to the Blue Jays’ away win percentage (32-37).
- The Twins have a better head-to-head record against the Blue Jays this season, winning 2 out of 3 games.
- The Twins have a higher run differential in their last 15 games (+3) compared to the Blue Jays (-6).
Blue Jays vs Twins
The Blue Jays Are Coming Off A Win
The Blue Jays’s offense was carried by Ernie Clement in their most recent game vs. the Red Sox. He went 2/4 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base. The Blue Jays only scored two runs but picked up the json as the Red Sox didn’t score at all. Toronto was the +114 underdog going into this road game.
Bowden Francis started for the Blue Jays, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out five Red Sox batters. However, he didnjson’t get the win, as the Blue Jays’s bullpen blew the save. Chad Green picked up the save, his first of the season.
Today, the Blue Jays are on the road to take on the Twins, and their overall series record is 16-21-6. They are 7-3 in their last ten games and have a 32-37 road record this season. Against the AL East, the Blue Jays are 20-26, and they are 5th in the division, 13 games behind the Yankees.
On the run line, the Blue Jays have a 44-25 record when playing away from Toronto, and their overall run line record is 69-67. The average run margin in their games is -0.5, and the over has hit in 72 of their 133 games this season. When the total is set at 8 runs, the over is 23-13-1 in Blue Jays games.
Kevin Gausman Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman will be looking to build off his last outing, where he gave up just one earned run in seven innings of work. In that outing vs. the Angels, he only gave up two hits and issued two walks. Gausman finished with 10 strikeouts in the game. Looking back further, he has made 26 starts this season and has a record of 12-9. Gausman’s ERA for the season is 4.10, along with a WHIP of 1.22. This year, he has two complete games and one shutout to go along with 13 quality starts. Per nine innings, Gausman is averaging 8.39 strikeouts and just 2.56 walks.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. This is also the 22nd ranked home run-hitting team in the league. As a team, they are batting .239, and their collective on-base percentage is .312. One thing to keep an eye on is their collective batting average on balls in play, as they are currently 20th in the league in this category.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been on a tear of late, going 9/19 in his last five games, but he is looking to get back on track in terms of power, as he hasn’t homered in his last five games. Guerrero Jr. comes into the game with a team-high 27 homers and 88 RBIs. George Springer is also looking to get back on track, as he is hitting just .217 for the season and has gone deep just once in his last five games.
The Twins Took The Last Game Of This Series
The Twins will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Braves with a 5-1 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 7th inning before the Braves scored four runs in the top of the 7th. Minnesota was the +120 underdog at home going into the game.
David Festa was excellent for the Twins, going six innings and giving up just two runs on two hits. He also issued only one walk and struck out seven Braves batters. However, the Twins couldn’t close things out, and Festa took the loss. Ryan Jeffers and Manuel Margot each had two hits for the Twins, but they only scored one run between them.
Minnesota has struggled as run line favorites this season, going 42-49, and they are looking to end a three-series losing streak. The Twins are 3rd in the AL Central, 3.5 games behind the Guardians, and have a 28-17 record in divisional games.
Overall, the Twins have played high-scoring games, with an O/U record of 68-61 and an average of 9.2 runs per game. Their straight-up record is 72-61, and they are 37-29 at home and 35-32 on the road. As underdogs, they have a 16-26 record, and as favorites, they are 56-35.
Pablo López Gets The Start For The Twins
Pablo López has been pitching well for the Twins, coming into the game with a record of 12-8 and an ERA of 4.26. He has made 26 starts this season and has turned in 14 quality starts. Looking back at his most recent outing, López didn’t give up a run in seven innings of work against the Cardinals. He finished with nine strikeouts in that outing. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts. Opponents are batting .238 off López this season, and his WHIP is currently 1.14.
Twins Offense Breakdown
With an average of 4.9 runs per game, the Twins have one of the better offenses in the league this season. They are also among the league leaders in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Minnesota has been even better at home, averaging 5 runs per game. Over their last 10 games, Matt Wallner has gone 10/31 with three homers, while Trevor Larnach is also swinging a hot bat, going 12/31 in his last nine games.
Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins’ top power threat this season, with 20 homers, and he is also leading the team with 59 RBIs. Carlos Santana and Willi Castro are also near the top of the Twins’ home run leaderboard, with 18 and 11 homers, respectively. Both players are also in the top three in RBIs for the Twins.
Blue Jays vs Twins Prediction
Our prediction for the Blue Jays vs. Twins game is that the Twins will come out on top by a score of 6-5. With the Twins picking up the win, we would recommend taking them on the money line, where the payout is -156.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Pablo Lopez finishing with six strikeouts, which is 11th among starters. As for Kevin Gausman, his projections have him finishing with five strikeouts, which is 17th.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:August 30, 2024 Blue Jays, Twins