The Minnesota Twins will be looking to bounce back from a loss in their series opener when they host the visiting Los Angeles Angels in the second game of a three-game set on Tuesday night. With L.A. hot and Minnesota looking to snap out of a modest skid, let’s find out which one of these AL playoff hopefuls is offering the best value in this affair.
How to Bet on Angels vs Twins MLB Spread & Game Preview
#HaloRecap: Go-ahead homer from La Stella, two-run homer from Ohtani boosts Angels over Twins.
Box » https://t.co/11JdJBiMbx pic.twitter.com/yuMd8tfFix — Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 14, 2019
- When: Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 7:40 PM ET
- Where: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- TV: FSN, FSW
- Radio: Los Angeles / Minnesota
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Odds: LA Angels +110/Minnesota -130 / Total: 8.5
Starting Pitchers
- Los Angeles – Felix Pena – RH – (2-1, 3.21 ERA)
- Minnesota – Kyle Gibson – RH – (3-1, 4.19 ERA)
Why Bet On Los Angeles?
The Angels have won three of four and five of their last seven games overall including Monday’s 5-4 win over the Twins. Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run of the season in the third inning to lift the Halos to the win and improve to 5-2 since he made his 2019 debut.
“I’ve been hitting the ball in the air recently,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I think it showed today that I’m improving.”
Ohtani is back after undergoing Tommy John surgery that has put the two-way Japanese star’s pitching on hold for the foreseeable future.
“We’ve been waiting to get him back. You see how different the lineup is when he’s in there, and hopefully he’s starting to get his timing,” La Stella said.
Ohtani reached base in four of his five plate appearances. The AL Rookie of the Year homered 22 times in 326 at-bats in 2018.
“We all know the power’s there, and that was a no-doubter to the opposite field,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “You don’t see a lot of balls hit the other way from many people in this game that way.”
The Angels have scored 13 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in six of their last eight games. For this contest, L.A. will hand the ball to right-hander Felix Pena. While this will be Pena’s first career game against the Twins, the 29-year-old was fantastic in his last start as he pitched seven shutout innings against Detroit while striking out seven and allowing just three hits.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs: 4.88
- Hits: 8.37
- Walks: 3.59
- Strike Outs: 5.90
- Runs: 4.88
- Hits: 8.29
- Walks: 3.61
- Strike Outs: 8.56
Why Bet On Minnesota?
The Twins have dropped three of four, but they’ve also gone a solid 13-8 at home this year while L.A. has gone a modest 9-12 on the road. Jorge Polanco and Marwin Gonzalez each hit two-run homers off Angels starter Tyler Skaggs on Monday, but it wasn’t enough as All-Star right-hander Jose Berrios struggled in allowing five runs on a career-high 12 hits in 5.2 innings.
“Today was one of those days where the ball found open spaces against us, and that’s just part of the game,” said Berrios, who gave up, his shortest start of the year, while walking three. He induced two ground ball double plays.
The Twins went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
“It’s going to happen. I wouldn’t be surprised if our guys bounce back well and have the same good at-bats they have been having all year tomorrow,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said.
The Twins have scored 15 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in six of their last 10 games. For this contest, Minnesota will hand the ball to right-hander Kyle Gibson who limited Toronto to one run on two hits while striking out 11 in his last start.
Team Statistics
Offense:- Runs: 5.25
- Hits: 8.85
- Walks: 3.15
- Strike Outs: 7.47
- Runs: 4.00
- Hits: 8.00
- Walks: 2.90
- Strike Outs: 8.48
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Angels vs Twins
The Los Angeles Angels might be hot and they clearly have been buoyed by the return of Shohei Ohtani, but for this Game 2 matchup, I’m going to advise you to back a Twins team that has done well at home this year and more importantly, one that is semi-desperate to get back in the win column after struggling a bit recently. Minnesota has gone 17-8 SU in its last 25 home games and 8-4 ATS in their last dozen home dates. I love the way Kyle Gibson is looking heading into this contest and I believe he’s going to narrowly outperform counterpart Felix Pena to lead the Twins to the big win.
MLB Betting Pick: Minnesota 4 LA Angels 2
