Sonny Gray, one of this season’s toughest pitchers, leads the way for the Minnesota Twins (36-38) as they face off against the Boston Red Sox (39-35) at Target Field on Wednesday.
The Red Sox lead the series 2-0 after winning 10-4 on Tuesday, their sixth straight victory overall and fourth in five games against the Twins this season.
Kutter Crawford threw five scoreless innings – striking out five – to get the win, and Corey Kluber pitched three innings to pick up his first save of the season. Christian Arroyo was 5 for 5 with a home run and a double in the win. He had four RBIs.
Masataka Yoshida went 3 for 5 with a home run, three runs, and three RBIs. Royce Lewis went 3 for 4 with a solo home run for the Twins. Byron Buxton added a home run and two RBIs.
ON THE MOUND
Garrett Whitlock (4-2, 4.38 ERA) is set for the start for Boston. The righty allowed two runs over seven innings in his last start, a 6-3 home win over the Rockies on June 14. He earned the win, yielding six hits while striking out seven and walking one.
Whitlock is making his first appearance against the Twins this season. Over two appearances (zero starts) against the Twins in 2022, Whitlock was 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA over 4.1 innings. He had eight strikeouts and two walks. RHP Gray (4-1, 2.37 ERA) gets the ball for Minnesota.
He has made one prior start against the Red Sox this season, giving up one run over five innings in a 5-4 road defeat on April 18. He gave up seven hits and walked two while striking out seven in the no-decision.
In his last start on Thursday, Gray took a no-decision at home against the Tigers. He threw four innings and gave up two runs on three hits, striking out three and walking four in the 8-4 defeat. The righty ranks third in the AL in ERA.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Boston has averaged 8.8 runs a game, up from their season average of 5.2, while slashing better across the board (.337/.400/.569).
Against righties like Gray this season, the Sox have a .768 OPS. Yoshida is the team’s biggest slugger against right-handers with a .514 slugging percentage in 193 at-bats.
Minnesota is averaging only 2.8 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.3 for the season, with their slash line dropping across the board (.216/.266/.346).
The Twins have a .726 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .817 OPS over 155 at-bats, Buxton has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Boston is on a three-game winning streak away from Fenway Park, bringing their record to 18-17 in 2023. The Sox have scored 4.4 runs per game away from home while allowing 4.3 runs. Minnesota has lost three in a row at Target Field.
The Twins are 21-19 at home this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game while surrendering 4.2. Boston is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings at Target Field with an average scoreline of 5.8-3.9.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Red Sox are fifth in the AL East, 11 games behind the division-leading Rays. The Twins lead the AL Central by one game over the Guardians.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Minnesota Twins (-120)
Want up to a $1K risk-free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information, and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
