The San Diego Padres (19-18) are on the road to face the Minnesota Twins (20-17) at Target Field on Thursday with the three-game Interleague series in the balance.
The Twins evened up the series 1-1 after winning 4-3 in 11 innings on Wednesday. Griffin Jax threw one scoreless inning in relief to get the win. Carlos Correa went 1 for 3 with a double and one RBI in the win.
Max Kepler added a home run and a double. He scored three runs. Juan Soto was 1 for 3 with a solo home run for the Padres.
ON THE MOUND
Yu Darvish (2-2, 3.19 ERA) is in line to start for San Diego. The right-hander allowed two runs (one earned) over 6.2 innings in his last start, a 5-2 road win over the Dodgers on Friday.
He was credited with the win, giving up four hits while striking out six and walking one. Righty Bailey Ober (2-0, 0.98 ERA) will toe the rubber for Minnesota.
It’s his first appearance of the season against the Padres. In his last start on Friday, Ober got the win on the road against the Guardians. He threw seven scoreless innings and gave up three hits, striking out six and walking one in the 2-0 victory.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, San Diego has averaged 3.4 runs a game, a small drop compared to their season average of 4.2. Against righties like Ober this season, the Padres have a .680 OPS. Soto is the team’s strongest hitter against right-handers with a 1.064 OPS in 85 at-bats.
Minnesota is averaging only 2.0 runs per game in the last five, down from 4.2 for the season, with their slash line slipping across the board (.168/.251/.280).
The Twins have a .695 OPS against right-handers in 2023. With a .922 OPS over 97 at-bats, Byron Buxton has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
San Diego is 9-7 on the road in 2023, scoring 4.1 runs per game while allowing 4.2 runs. Minnesota has gone 11-7 at their home ballpark this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game while surrendering 4.1. In nine meetings at Target Field, Minnesota is 7-2 with an average scoreline of 4.8-2.8.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Padres are third in the NL West, three games behind the division-leading Dodgers. The Twins lead the AL Central by two games over the Tigers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
SD Padres (-135)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
