Justin Garza is in line for his first start of the season as the Boston Red Sox (39-36) face off against the Minnesota Twins (37-38) at Target Field on Thursday with the home team eyeing a split of the four-game series.
The Twins won 5-4 in 10 innings on Wednesday for their first win of the series, their second head-to-head victory in six games this season. Jovani Moran threw one scoreless inning in relief to get the win.
Max Kepler went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs in the win. Edouard Julien added a double and one run. Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs for the Red Sox.
ON THE MOUND
Garza (0-1, 3.46 ERA) is in line for his first start of the season for Boston. The righty threw two scoreless innings in relief in his last appearance, a 9-3 home win over the Twins on Monday. He gave up two hits while striking out three and walking two.
For Minnesota, righty Joe Ryan (7-4, 2.90 ERA) gets the start. He has made one prior start against the Red Sox this season, giving up three runs over six innings in a 10-4 road win on April 19. He gave up six hits and walked one while striking out three in the win.
In his last start on Friday, Ryan took the loss at home against the Tigers. He threw seven innings and gave up six runs on seven hits, striking out seven, in the 7-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Boston has averaged 6.6 runs a game, up from their season average of 5.1, while performing better across the board (.302/.372/.497). Against right-handed pitchers like Ryan this season, the Sox have a .769 OPS, fifth highest in MLB.
Alex Verdugo is the team’s best performer against right-handers with a .894 OPS in 198 at-bats. Minnesota is averaging only 3.6 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.3 for the season.
The Twins have a .726 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .816 OPS over 159 at-bats, Byron Buxton has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Boston is 18-18 away from Fenway Park in 2023, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. Minnesota has gone 22-19 at home this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game while surrendering 4.2. In the last 10 games at Target Field between the teams, Boston is 6-4 with an average scoreline of 5.3-4.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Red Sox are fifth in the AL East, 12 games behind the division-leading Rays. The Twins lead the AL Central by one game over the Guardians.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Minnesota Twins (-155)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
