The Cleveland Guardians (25-30) take one of the least productive lineups in MLB on the road to face the Minnesota Twins (29-27) at Target Field on Thursday for the opener of a four-game series.
The Guardians are in the midst of a seven-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Orioles, taking the finale 12-8 on Wednesday at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Josh Naylor was 4 for 5 with a home run and two doubles. He scored three runs and had six RBIs. Andres Gimenez also went 4 for 5 with two RBIs.
The Twins won two of three against the Astros in their last series, taking the finale 8-2 on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park. Ryan Jeffers went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Guardians have won two of three in the season series between the AL Central rivals, including a 2-0 victory in their most recent meeting on May 7 at Progressive Field. Cal Quantrill threw seven scoreless innings for the win, and Emmanuel Clase earned his 12th save with a scoreless ninth.
ON THE MOUND
Tanner Bibee (1-1, 3.18 ERA) is set to get the start for Cleveland. The RHP allowed one run over six innings in his last start, a 2-1 home defeat against the Cardinals on Saturday. He scattered two hits while striking out nine and walking one in the no-decision.
Right-hander Pablo Lopez (3-3, 3.90 ERA) gets the start for Minnesota. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Guardians. In his last start on Saturday, Lopez got the win at home against the Blue Jays.
He threw 5.2 innings and gave up four runs on five hits, striking out six and walking three in the 9-7 triumph. The righty ranks fourth in the AL in strikeouts (81).
AT THE PLATE
The Cleveland offense is averaging 3.6 runs per game for the season, second lowest in MLB, with a slash line of .233/.302/.351. Jose Ramirez leads the team in OPS at .813.
The third baseman is slashing .277/.348/.465 with six home runs, 29 RBIs, and 28 runs over 52 games. Over the last five games, though, Cleveland has averaged 5.4 runs a game while slashing better across the board (.301/.353/.452).
Against righties like Lopez this season, the Guardians have a .647 OPS, second lowest in the league. Ramirez also is the team’s most productive hitter against right-handers with a .927 OPS in 136 at-bats.
Minnesota is slashing .233/.317/.403 for the season and averaging 4.6 runs per game. Byron Buxton leads the team with a .771 OPS. The center fielder has 10 home runs, 23 RBIs, and 31 runs scored with a slash line of .221/.324/.448.
The Twins have a .730 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .871 OPS over 110 at-bats, Joey Gallo has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cleveland is 13-15 in away games in 2023, scoring 4.5 runs per game while allowing 4.6 runs. Minnesota has gone 16-12 at home this season, averaging 4.8 runs per game while surrendering 3.9. In the last 10 games at Target Field between the teams, Cleveland is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 5.8-4.7.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Twins lead the AL Central by two games over the Tigers. The Guardians are third in the AL Central, three games behind the Twins.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (+110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
