The Tampa Bay Rays (35-39) travel to face off against the Minnesota Twins (41-33) on Thursday, June 20th. This game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis and televised on BSSUN. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Twins are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 12:10 CT.

Rays vs Twins

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Rays vs Twins series. Tampa Bay went into the matchup as +143 underdogs and squeaked out a 3-2 win. Both teams scored one run in the first inning, and the Twins could only muster one more run in the 5th inning. As for the Rays, they scored the game’s go-ahead run in the 7th, and both offenses went silent after that.

Minnesota wasted a good outing from Joe Ryan, as he gave up just one run in six innings of work for the Twins. Jorge Alcala took the loss. As for the Rays, Taj Bradley pitched well, giving up just two earned runs across six innings of work. Jason Adam got the win out of the bullpen, and Phil Maton got the save.

Tampa Bay’s offense was led by Isaac Paredes, Yandy Diaz, and Randy Arozarena, as they were the only three Rays hitters to have more than one hit. Paredes and Ben Rortvedt each had two RBIs for Tampa Bay’s lineup.

Tampa Bay is on the road today vs. the Twins, and they are 35-39 overall, putting them 5th in the AL East. The Rays are 15 games behind the Yankees for the AL East lead and are 10-17 in AL East games this year. So far, they have gone 19-23 at home compared to 16-16 on the road.

The Rays have an overall series record of 10-11-2 this year, and they are 4-6 across their last 10 games. As the favorite, the Rays are 21-20 this year and 14-19 as the underdog. Tampa Bay’s overall record is 10-11-2.

When the Tampa Bay Rays are on the road, they have a run line record of 18-14. They have covered the run line in three straight road games and are 17-16 against the run line as an underdog this season. The Rays have an average run differential of -0.8 runs per game on the road this season.

The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road today against the Minnesota Twins. The over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Rays games this season is 8.7 runs. Their over/under record for the season is 38-34, and the average over/under line for their games is 8 runs. When the line has been set at 8 runs, their over/under record is 10-9. So far this season, 32 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, which accounts for 43.2% of their games. Conversely, 23 of their games have had over/under lines set lower than 8 runs, which accounts for 31.1% of their games.

Zack Littell Gets The Start For The Rays

Right-hander Zack Littell is starting for the Rays today as he faces his former team, the Twins, on the road. Littell has made 14 starts this year and has a record of 2-5 with an ERA of 4.25. This season, opponents are batting .290 off Littell, and his ERA on the road is 7.6 compared to 3.56 at home. Littell’s WHIP for the season is 1.38, and he has issued just 1.53 walks per nine innings. In his last outing, Littell gave up six earned runs in just two innings of work, taking the loss. Before that, he had given up three earned runs in three straight outings.

Rays Offense Breakdown

Heading into today’s game, Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena are both on nice hitting streaks for the Rays. Diaz has gone 9/31 in his last seven games, while Arozarena is 6/20 in his last seven games. Arozarena also has two homers in this stretch and comes into the game with a team-high 10 homers. Isaac Paredes has been the team’s top run producer so far, with 39 RBIs and 11 homers, which is 12th best in the MLB.

As a team, the Rays are batting just .232 and are averaging only 3.9 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. At home, they have been even worse, averaging just 3.7 runs per game. Overall, they are 17th in home runs and have the league’s 12th worst strikeout rate.

Minnesota is 41-33 overall and trails the Guardians by 5.5 games in the AL Central. The Twins are 15-11 against other teams in the division. The Twins have been playing well of late, going 8-2 over their last ten games, and they have won two straight series.

At home, the Twins are 23-15 this year compared to an 18-18 mark on the road. As the favorite, the Twins are 32-17 this year and 19-12 when favored at home. So far, they are 9-16 as the underdog.

In games that the Twins have won, they have done so by an average of 3.4 runs per game. In their losses, they have been outscored by an average of 3.8 runs per game. Overall, they have a run differential of +0.2 runs per game. Their run line record is 33-41, including 15-23 at home and 18-18 on the road. As the favorite, they are 21-28 against the run line, while they are 12-13 as the underdog.

Minnesota has had a high-scoring season, with a combined run average of 9.1 runs per game. The Twins have gone over the total in 33 of their 72 games this season, and their games have averaged exactly 8 runs per game. When the total has been set at 8 runs, the Twins have gone over the total just 4 times in 16 games.

Simeon Woods Richardson Gets The Start For The Twins

Through 11 starts, Simeon Woods Richardson has a record of 2-1 and an ERA of 3.29. Looking at his overall numbers, he has made three quality starts and is coming off an outing in which he allowed four earned runs in four innings of work. In that start vs. the Athletics, he gave up four hits, four walks, and a home run. Before that outing, he had not allowed a home run in three straight starts. The right-hander has a BB/9 figure of 2.47 compared to 7.57 strikeouts per nine innings. At home, his ERA is 4.05.

Twins Offense Breakdown

Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers have been the Twins’ top power threats this season, as they are 1st and 2nd on the team in home runs, respectively. Santana’s 37 RBIs are also the best mark on the team, but he is hitting just .239 for the season. Jeffers has also struggled with his batting average, coming into the game at .234. Willi Castro has been a solid all-around hitter for the Twins, as he is batting .268 with a team-leading on-base percentage of .355.

Carlos Correa has been on fire for the Twins of late, going 18/36 in his last eight games with three homers and eight RBIs. Royce Lewis has also been swinging a hot bat, going 12/29 in his last seven games with four homers. Both Carlos Santana and Trevor Larnach come into the game on five-game hitting streaks.

Rays vs Twins Prediction

Our prediction for this Rays vs. Twins matchup is that the Twins will come out on top by a score of 6-5. Given that the Twins are the favorites on the money line and that there is a lot of value in taking them at -133, that is the bet we recommend making.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Simeon Woods Richardson lasting longer in this one than Zack Littell. However, Littell is projected to finish with more strikeouts than Woods Richardson.

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.