2024 Minnesota Twins Odds: Betting Futures and Win Totals Lines

Previous Betting News

Betting on baseball ain’t chess, it’s checkers. By that I mean, don’t overthink it. You should almost always go with the team that has the better starting pitcher, barring injuries for that team. With that said, here are three games I would recommend this weekend and it’s not a coincidence the games each involve one of the best pitchers in baseball.

MLB Picks For The Weekend

Twins at White Sox, Saturday

Chicago will be a big favorite behind the leading candidate for the AL Cy Young Award in left-hander Chris Sale (6-0, 1.66). Last time out, Sale allowed one run on five hits and four walks while striking out six over 5.1 innings to earn the win last Sunday at the Orioles. Sale battled control issues and blew through 112 pitches before being removed in the sixth inning, but he left the contest with a five-run lead in a game the White Sox would win easily. He now has allowed one or fewer earned runs in each of his last four starts.

Sale’s average fastball velocity is down nearly 2 mph from last year, at its lowest point since 2012. Usually that’s cause for concern. But Sale’s contact rate is up eight percentage points from last year, the single largest increase by any qualified starter from last year to the next. So essentially Sale is letting his defense help lessen the load this season. Sale hasn’t faced the Twins this season. He had a 1-4 record and 7.36 ERA against them last year, but throw that out.

Minnesota goes with Ervin Santana (0-1, 3.15). The Twins have lost all four of his starts this year. He hasn’t pitched since April 19 due to a back problem. Santana pitched a simulated game Tuesday and is on track to start Saturday. Take Chicago and the under.

Dodgers at Blue Jays, Sunday

It’s lefty Clayton Kershaw (3-1, 1.96) for Los Angeles. Kershaw was dominant in last Sunday’s start against San Diego, striking out 14 with no walks in a shutout in the 13th complete game of his career.  He also drove in the game’s only run with a single to center field in the third inning. The last Dodgers pitcher to deliver a complete-game shutout and drive in the game’s only run was Fernando Valenzuela in 1984.

Kershaw was knocked around for five runs in his previous outing, but he rebounded superbly and delivered his best start of the season. Kershaw has allowed two runs or fewer in five of six starts and has struck out at least 10 batters in three straight.

Marco Estrada  (1-2, 2.64) pitches for Toronto. This is an interleague game so the Dodgers add the DH. Take L.A. and the under.

Nationals at Cubs, Sunday

The best pitcher on the planet right now is Cubs right-hander Jake Arrieta (6-0, 0.84) and he goes in the series finale.  The reigning NL Cy Young winner threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out five in Tuesday’s win against the Pirates. His only real trouble spot came in the first, when he issued consecutive walks to John Jaso and Andrew McCutchen. At one point, he retired 15 in a row. Arrieta was barely touched in the middle innings and exited after 99 pitches.

Arrieta is 22-1 with a 0.85 ERA in his past 26 regular-season starts. The Cubs have won 19 straight regular-season games in which Arrieta has started.

The Nationals counter with Tanner Roark (2-2, 2.35). He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks over 7.1 innings in a no-decision Tuesday against the Royals. Roark had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 17.1 innings by an Alcides Escobar RBI single in the third inning. It’s the third game in a row Roark has pitched at least seven innings.

Go Cubs and under.

Previous Betting News

Don Mattingly recently parted ways with the Los Angeles Dodgers after they were knocked out of the playoffs in the National League Division Series by the New York Mets as MLB odds fans might recall seeing. However, he won’t be out of work for long. The Miami Herald has reported that Mattingly met with the Miami Marlins, and that both sides are looking at inking a contract in the next few days. Mattingly managed the Dodgers for the last five seasons and won the last three NL West titles.

MLB Odds Rumors and News For The Week

No official announcement is expected until after the World Series. However, money is not expected to hold up the deal, as owner Jeffrey Loria has been willing to pay his managers well, as in the case of Ozzie Guillen. The only possible hindrance could be the fact that Mattingly wants to bring in his own coaches, and the Marlins have not always been willing to let new managers do that. However online betting fans, given how strongly Loria appears to be interested in Mattingly, that might not be a problem. Such other candidates as Larry Bowa, Bo Porter, Alex Cora, Phil Nevin, Rick Renteria, and Manny Acta, all of whom have interviewed for the position, could find themselves on the outside looking in now. Let’s take a look at some of the other rumors making their way through Major League Baseball as the Royals and Mets square off in the Fall Classic:

The two finalists for the manager’s seat in Washington are Bud Black and Dusty Baker, both of whom had their second interviews on Monday. According to James Wagner with the Washington Post, the Nationals will have to pay either one of these candidates more – and they still owe Matt Williams $1 million for the 2016 season.

In San Diego, Pirates third base coach Rick Sofield went back for a second interview and looks to be a finalist for the position. Sofield coached at the University of South Carolina from 1984-1986 and Utah from 1987-1994. He managed in the Expos’ minor league system from 1995-1997. Ron Gardenhire, the longtime Twins manager, also went back for a second interview in San Diego, according to Jon Heyman with CBSSports.com.

The Seattle Mariners have a vacancy at the third-base coach position, and Dave Roberts appears to be a strong candidate there. He was the bench coach in San Diego last year but made a good impression in his Seattle interview, according to Bob Dutton with The Olympian.

Catcher Matt Wieters is a season removed from Tommy John surgery, and now the Braves, Rays, Mariners, Astros and Dodgers could all be interested in his arm. The Rangers might also be interested, but if the Orioles give Wieters a qualifying offer, the Rangers would not pursue him.

Torii Hunter retired Monday at the age of 40, bringing a close to a 19-year career that saw him in the All-Star game five times and brought him nine Gold Gloves. He would have been relegated to part-time duty if he had gone back to Minnesota in 2016.