Division leaders square off Tuesday in the second of a three-game series as the Minnesota Twins (23-19) take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (27-15). Los Angeles will host this one at Dodger Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 10:10 pm ET.
The Dodgers are heavy favorites playing at home. They are -215 to win, while the Twins’ moneyline sits at +180. The runline features Minnesota +1.5 (-120), and the over/under for total runs is 7.5.
Twins Try To Bounce Back From Tough Loss
Monday’s opener was quite a frustrating one for the Twins. They fought back from both a four and a one-run deficit and even held a lead in extra innings. Still, it was all for naught as the Dodgers eventually picked up the win on a walkoff walk in the 12th inning, winning 9-8.
Trying to bounce back, Minnesota will turn to righty Bailey Ober in this one. In four games, the 27-year-old is 2-0 with a 1.85 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and he has 22 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. In his last start, he took a no-decision against the Padres after allowing three earned runs in six innings.
The Twins currently have the second-best scoring defense, in the majors, allowing 3.61 runs per game to opponents (3.26 on the road). Offensively, the Twins currently rank 11th in scoring, averaging 4.66 runs per game (4.05 on the road).
In Monday’s opener, Jorge Polanco had a huge night. He went three for three with a home run and three runs scored. This season, he is hitting .283/.327/.489 with four home runs and 14 runs batted in.
Joey Gallo leads the team in home runs with nine, while Trevor Larnach has the most runs batted in with 26.
Dodgers Look To Future Hall-of-Famer In Second Game Of Series
At 35-years-old and with 203 total wins, Clayton Kershaw has certainly put together a Hall-of-Fame career. Still, Father Time does not appear to be slowing him down too much this season, as he has been sensational and will look to add another win to his resume Tuesday.
In eight games this year, the southpaw is 6-2 with a 2.36 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and he has 56 strikeouts in 49.2 innings of work. Kershaw picked up the win in his last start against the Brewers. He allowed one run over seven innings while striking out eight in the victory.
On the offensive side, the Dodgers currently rank fourth in scoring, averaging 5.37 runs per game. Max Muncy continues to rake for Los Angeles. In 124 at bats, he is hitting just .218/.364/.565, but he leads the team with 14 home runs and 32 runs batted in.
Mookie Betts (9 HR, 24 RBI, 27 R), James Outman (8 HR, 23 RBI, 26 R), Freddie Freeman (7 HR, 21 RBI, 35 R), and Will Smith (7 HR, 22 RBI, 21 R) have all had fantastic starts to the season as well.
Take The Dodgers To Win And Cover The Runline
For as good as Bailey Ober has been in his four starts, the Los Angeles Dodgers are just a ton, especially playing at home. In fact, not only have they won eight of their last 10, but they are a whopping 16-6 when playing at Dodger Stadium.
Throw in the fact that the Dodgers have ace Clayton Kershaw on the mound and this seems like a game Los Angeles will probably take. Expect the Dodgers to not only win, but there is value in taking them to cover the -1.5 runline (+100) as well.
