The Cleveland Guardians (70-65) are on the road to face the Minnesota Twins (69-67) at Target Field on Friday for the opener of a three-game series. The Guardians are in the midst of a six-game road trip. They won two out of three in their last series against the Royals, dropping the finale 2-1 on Wednesday at Ewing M. Kauffman Stadium. Oscar Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with two doubles and one run. The Twins are playing the first of six games at home after returning from a rough seven-game road trip (2-5). They lost three of four against the Yankees in their last series, taking the finale 4-3 on Thursday at Yankee Stadium. Gary Sanchez went 3 for 4 with a double, one run, and one RBI.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Guardians have won six of 11 in the season series between the AL Central rivals, including a 5-3 victory in their most recent meeting on June 30 at Progressive Field. Reliever Emmanuel Clase was credited with the win after throwing one scoreless inning.
ON THE MOUND
Cal Quantrill (11-5, 3.55 ERA) is slated for the start for Cleveland. The righty allowed three runs (two earned) over three innings in his last start, a 6-3 road defeat against the Mariners on Sunday. He gave up five hits while striking out three and walking one in the no-decision. Quantrill has made one previous start against the Twins this season, a 7-6 home victory on June 29. He surrendered three runs on eight hits over eight innings, striking out three. Righty Dylan Bundy (8-6, 4.34 ERA) will toe the rubber for Minnesota. He has made one prior start against the Guardians this season, giving up three runs (2 ER) over five innings in a 7-6 road defeat on June 29. He gave up six hits and walked one, while striking out one in the no-decision. In his last start on Sunday, Bundy got the win on the road against the White Sox. He threw five scoreless innings and gave up two hits, striking out four and walking one in the 5-1 triumph.
AT THE PLATE
The Cleveland offense is averaging 4.1 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .250/.311/.376. Jose Ramirez leads the team in OPS at .876. The third baseman is slashing .277/.349/.527 with 26 home runs, 108 RBIs, and 74 runs over 131 games. Over the last five games, though, Cleveland has averaged only 2.8 runs a game partially thanks to diminished slugging (.315). Against right-handed pitchers like Bundy this season, the Guardians have a .708 OPS. Ramirez also is the team’s best hitter against right-handers with a .912 OPS in 375 at-bats. Minnesota is slashing .248/.318/.407 for the season and averaging 4.4 runs per game. Luis Arraez leads the team with a .800 OPS. The second baseman has eight home runs, 45 RBIs, and 74 runs scored with a slash line of .314/.377/.423. Minnesota is averaging only 3.2 runs per game in the last five with their slash line falling across the board (.243/.289/.368). The Twins have a .731 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .842 OPS over 368 at-bats, Arraez also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Cleveland is 37-35 away from Progressive Field in 2022, scoring 4.4 runs per game while allowing 3.9 runs. Minnesota has gone 40-29 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.2 runs per game while surrendering 3.9. In the last 10 games between the teams at Target Field, each club has won five, though Cleveland has the scoring advantage with an average final margin of 5.4-5.1.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Guardians lead the AL Central by two games over the Twins. The Twins are fifth in the Wild Card race, seven games out of a postseason position.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Cleveland Guardians (-105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
