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Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Rays MLB Pick
Two baseball clubs looking to jump start their season from tough starts will play on the gulf coast of Florida as the Minnesota Twins visit the Tampa Bay Rays.
Date/Time: Saturday, April 16, 4:10 PM ET
Venue: Tropicana Field in Tampa, FL.
Broadcast: FOX
Money Line: Twins +110 / Rays -130
Spread: Rays -1.5
Over/Under: 8.5
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Both teams, which won their respective divisions last season, enter play on Friday with identical 4-8 records. The news is worse for the Twins, who placed Joe Mauer on the disabled list on Friday.
Scott Baker will look for his first win of the season for Minnesota, as he will be the starting pitcher for the Twins. Jeff Niemann for Tampa Bay will oppose him.
Baker is 0-2 with a 6.55 ERA on the young season. Niemann is also 0-2 but with an ERA of 8.31. Baker needs to keep the ball down against the Rays; he has allowed four home runs in his first two starts. Niemann’s last outing was just as brutal, surrendering three earned runs on five hits in just 2 2/3 innings in a loss to the White Sox.
Tampa Bay should be encouraged by taking two games in Boston earlier this week (the third was rained out), including a 16-5 demolition job of the Sox on Monday. Johnny Damon is starting to hit, smacking home runs in consecutive games at Fenway Park.
Minnesota earned a split of a two-game set with Kansas City after dropping two of three last weekend to Oakland. Jason Kubel is hitting well for the Twins, with 14 hits and a .318 average. But the Twins have just three homers all season as a team.
Tampa Bay has been blessed by the play of Sam Fuld. He has a .316 average and nearly hit for the cycle on Monday, with two doubles, a triple, and a homer run in the blowout victory against Boston.
The Rays bullpen has been bolstered by the pitching of Kyle Farnsworth. The veteran reliever has two saves and earned the victory in Thursday’s extra inning triumph over Minnesota in the first game of the four-game weekend series.
The odds makers have the Rays as a -1.5 point favorite with an run total of 8.5.
Check out the latest MLB Baseball Odds here.
Matt’s Free Prediction: Rays – Tampa Bay has a distinct home field advantage at the Trop, and will look to exploit that against the Twins. BJ Upton is now the leader of this team with Carl Crawford gone and Evan Longoria injured – look for Upton to provide the offense for the Rays.
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Minnesota Twins Betting Trends:
- Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 7 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota’s last 6 games on the road
- Minnesota is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games on the road
Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends:
- Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 21 of Tampa Bay’s last 25 games
- Tampa Bay is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Tampa Bay’s last 13 games at home
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