If there is one thing that we can say about the 162-games that make up the MLB season, other than that it’s very long, it’s that it can tend to be forgiving. No team has ever won a division or a World Series at the midway point of the season, which is why simply hanging around and staying close to the leaders can often be viewed as a good start to the season when talking about the first half. We have, over the years, seen some seismic shifts occur once we get into the second half and the good teams really start to step up a gear after potentially making some line-up tweaks through deadline day moves.

It is with all of that in mind that we should probably not yet talk about writing off the defending World Series champions Boston Red Sox. It has not been the first half that anyone expected for this team, but they are very much hanging around and are in a good run of form right now. They will once again be in Minnesota to face the Twins on Tuesday night after winning the series opener. The Red Sox are favored by 1 ½, with the run total set at 9 ½.

Red Sox vs Twins MLB Odds, Game Info & Pick for Tuesday Night

• When: Tuesday, June 18 at 8:10 PM EST
• Where: Target Field, Minneapolis
• Starting Pitchers: Price vs. Pineda
• TV: MLB Extra Innings
• Radio: SiriusXM
• Live Stream: MLB.tv
• MLB Odds: Boston Red Sox -130 (Total 9.5)

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Why bet on the Boston Red Sox?

The expectations placed on a team coming off a championship season are probably a little too high. Even with that, you have to say that the Boston Red Sox have underwhelmed through the opening portion of the season. There are signs, though, that they might be about to close out the first half of the season on a high, as they are coming into this one on a 6-game winning streak, which includes a 2-0 win over the Twins in the opening game of this series.

That run has the Red Sox sitting at 7-3 in their last 10 games, while also taking them to 40-34 on the season, 5 ½ games off the pace in the AL East. Oddly enough, it has been the road where Boston has excelled, going 23-17 SU and 14018 ATS as a road favorite. It will be David Price (4-2, 3.52 ERA) who gets the start here.

Team Stats

Offense

• Runs: 5.35
• Hits: 9.11
• Walks: 3.92
• Strike Outs: 8.38

Defense

• Runs: 4.66
• Hits: 8.24
• Walks: 3.22
• Strike Outs: 9.99

Why bet on the Minnesota Twins?

The Minnesota Twins have been one of the most consistent teams in the league through the first half, which helps explain why they have been able to go 47-24 and build up a 10-game lead at the top of the AL Central. If you want an idea of just how consistent this team has been, take a look at their 2-0 loss on Monday, which was the first time they had been unable to drive home a run in 43 games.

With that loss, the Twins are now 6-4 in their last 10 games, and while it was a tough one, let’s not forget that they are still an impressive 23-12 in their own ballpark. The Twins have not been a home dog very often, but when they have had that label, they are 5-1 ATS. It will be Michael (4-3, 5.04 ERA) who gets the start for the Twins.

Team Stats

Offense

• Runs: 5.87
• Hits: 9.45
• Walks: 3.14
• Strike Outs: 7.76

Defense

• Runs: 4.27
• Hits: 8.31
• Walks: 2.79
• Strike Outs: 8.69

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Red Sox vs Twins MLB Betting Trends

• Red Sox are 8-0 SU in their last 8 games on the road
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston’s last 9 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
• Twins are 10-4 SU in their last 14 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Minnesota’s last 9 games this season
• Red Sox are 3-9 against the money line when playing on Tuesday this season
• Twins are 47-24 against the money line in all games this season
• Price is 10-4 when starting against MINNESOTA with an ERA of 2.63 and a WHIP of 1.045
• Pineda is 5-5 when starting against BOSTON with an ERA of 4.23 and a WHIP of 1.197

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Red Sox vs Twins

As good as the Red Sox have been of late, it’s tough to imagine the Twins dropping 3 games in a row in their own ballpark. I think that they bounce back and get the win here.

Score: Boston Red Sox 4 – Minnesota Twins 6