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The Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t been to Target Field in Minneapolis very often in franchise history but open an interleague series there against the Twins on Tuesday. LA is a solid favorite on the MLB odds.

How to Bet Los Angeles at Minnesota MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 7:40 PM ET
Where: Target Field
Probable pitchers (away/home): Andrew Heaney/Chris Archer
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Dodgers -140/Twins +130 (total 9.5)

Why Bet on LA Dodgers?

Even though the Dodgers are off to a 1-2 start, they remain the favorites to win the 2022 World Series. There’s no shame in losing two of three in Colorado as the Dodgers did over the weekend.

One bright spot of Sunday’s loss was Cody Bellinger going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Neither of his singles came close to being a hard hit (83.9 mph; 61.4 mph), but just getting on base is a positive for Bellinger as the former NL MVP has really struggled since he hurt his shoulder in late 2020. Bellinger went 0-for-8 with two strikeouts during the Dodgers’ first two games of the campaign, evoking additional concern following a miserable spring during which he batted .139 with 18 strikeouts in 36 at-bats. In 2019, Bellinger hit for a .305 average during his NL MVP season, but he has since batted .195 over 539 big-league at-bats.

Shortstop Trea Turner has one hit in each game this season and has hit safely in 23 straight games, which is the longest active hitting streak in the Major Leagues. It’s his second hitting streak of 16 games or more since joining the Dodgers in a trade with the Washington Nationals on July 30, 2021.

Lefty Andrew Heaney is on the mound for the Dodgers Tuesday. The Dodgers signed Heaney to an $8.5 million deal this offseason just before the lockout. The hope was that they could find something in his pitch mix and get him to secure the back-end of the rotation.

He is entering his first season with the Dodgers, and the southpaw is a combined 32-38 with a 4.72 ERA (333 ER/634.1 IP) and 650 strikeouts in parts of eight Major League seasons with the Marlins, Angels and Yankees, respectively. During his 2021 season with LAA and NYY, he went 8-9 with a 5.83 ERA (84 ER/129.2 IP) in 30 games (23 starts) and a 1.32 WHIP.

Despite appearing in just two games and 10 earned runs in just 5.1 innings of work this spring, (12 hits) Heaney somehow earned a rotation spot. According to manager Dave Roberts, David Price, who was considered an option, somehow isn’t built up to be a starter despite having ample time to rest and get back into that role. Despite his struggles this spring, the Dodgers believe Heaney has a nice upside if he figures out his new breaking-ball grip, an emphasis during camp.

Why Bet on Minnesota?

Catcher Ryan Jeffers didn’t start Monday’s game against the Mariners but should start Tuesday. Jeffers’ superior defense may give him the upper hand on Gary Sanchez for playing time behind the dish, but the 24-year-old backstop’s high strikeout rate limits him offensively. Sanchez delivered a grand slam and an RBI double in the Twins’ 10-4 victory over the Mariners on Sunday. The Twins scored their first 13 runs of the season all via home run until a seventh inning Sanchez RBI-double Sunday. It marked the most runs scored via home run to start a team’s season since 1900.

Over his last 162 games, Byron Buxton is hitting .281 with 44 doubles, two triples, 44 home runs, 98 RBI, 105 runs scored, a .324 on-base percentage, a .603 slugging percentage and a .927 OPS. In that span, the Twins are 100-62. Dating back to September 24, Buxton has five doubles, eight home runs, a .978 slugging percentage and a 1.401 OPS.

It’s new addition Chris Archer on the mound for the Twins. Archer got off to a delayed start to spring training after he didn’t sign with the Twins util late March. Last year, he was limited to six appearances (5 starts) in an injury-plagued season with Tampa Bay and was 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA. Archer has a career 3.87 ERA with 1,370 strikeouts in 1,254 1/3 innings and a .240 opponent batting average. He was third in AL Rookie of the Year voting for the Rays in 2013 and fifth in Cy Young Award balloting in 2015.

The $3.5 million guarantee for Archer to sign with Minnesota includes a base salary of $2.75 million for the ’22 season and a $750,000 buyout in ’23 if the Twins choose not to exercise their end of the mutual option. Archer can also earn up to $6 million in performance bonuses this year.

“I think the opportunity the Twins had for me and the team — the competitive team — that they have and my familiarity with [manager Rocco Baldelli] outweighs the monetary element,” Archer said.