Sonny Gray, one of the early season’s toughest pitchers, is set to take the mound for the Minnesota Twins (12-10) as they host the New York Yankees (13-9) at Target Field on Monday for the first of a three-game series. The Yankees are playing their first of seven games on the road after closing out a 10-game homestand (5-5).
They won only one out of three in their last series against the Blue Jays, dropping the finale 5-1 on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. Anthony Rizzo was 1 for 4 with a solo home run.
The Twins are in the midst of a 10-game homestand. They lost two of three against the Nationals in their last series, taking the finale 3-1 on Sunday at Target Field. Jorge Polanco went 3 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs. Jose Miranda added one run on two hits.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The teams have split their games this season 2-2, as the Yankees evened the season series with a 2-0 victory in their most recent meeting on April 16 at Yankee Stadium. Gerrit Cole threw a complete game shutout. He allowed only two hits, striking out 10 and walking one en route to the win.
ON THE MOUND
Jhony Brito (2-1, 5.40 ERA) is in line for the start for New York. The righty allowed one run over 4.1 innings in his last start, a 3-2 road win over the Angels on Wednesday. He yielded three hits while striking out three and walking three in the no-decision.
Brito has made one previous start against the Twins this season, an 11-2 home loss on April 13. He surrendered seven runs on six hits over 0.2 innings, walking one. RHP Gray (2-0, 0.53 ERA) gets the ball for Minnesota. It’s his first appearance of the season against the Yankees.
Gray made one start against the Yankees in 2022, throwing six innings in a 4-3 road win on September 8. He gave up six hits and walked one, while striking out seven in the no-decision.
In his last start on Tuesday, Gray took a no-decision on the road against the Red Sox. He threw five innings and gave up one run on seven hits, striking out seven and walking two in the 5-4 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
The New York offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game for the season, with a slash line of .229/.313/.403. Rizzo leads the team in OPS at .960. The second baseman is slashing .319/.419/.542 with five home runs, 11 RBIs, and 11 runs over 21 games. Against righties like Gray this season, the Yanks have a .735 OPS.
Aaron Judge is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a 1.035 OPS in 59 at-bats. Minnesota is slashing .228/.298/.379 for the season and averaging 4.1 runs per game. Byron Buxton leads the team with a .759 OPS.
The right fielder has three home runs, seven RBIs, and 13 runs scored with a slash line of .243/.316/.443. The Twins have a .692 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .875 OPS over 58 at-bats, Buxton also has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
New York is 4-2 in away games in 2023, scoring 5.3 runs per game while allowing 3.2 runs. Minnesota has gone 5-4 at Target Field this season, averaging 3.6 runs per game while surrendering 3.9. New York is 7-3 in the last 10 games at Target Field between the teams with an average scoreline of 7.8-6.4.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Yankees are third in the AL East, five games behind the division-leading Rays. The Twins lead the AL Central by one games over the Guardians.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
Minnesota Twins (-160)
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.
