Free MLB Picks Today: San Francisco Giants vs Minnesota Twins 8/28/22

The San Francisco Giants (61-64) are on the road to face the Minnesota Twins (64-61) at Target Field on Sunday with the home team eyeing a sweep of the three-game Interleague series. The Twins lead the series 2-0 after winning 3-2 in 10 innings on Saturday. Jhoan Duran got the win with one scoreless inning of relief. Max Kepler went 2 for 2 with three walks and one run in the win. Carlos Correa went 4 for 5 with one RBI. Wilmer Flores was 1 for 4 with one run for the Giants.

ON THE MOUND

Jakob Junis (4-3, 3.58 ERA) is in line to start for San Francisco. The RHP allowed three runs over 6.2 innings in his last start, a 9-8 road win over the Rockies on August 21. He yielded five hits while striking out six in the no-decision. Junis is making his first appearance against the Twins this season. Junis made one appearance against the Twins in 2021, a 6-5 home victory for the Royals on June 3. He surrendered one run on two hits over one inning.RHP Aaron Sanchez (3-4, 7.36 ERA) gets the start for Minnesota. He has made two appearances against the Giants this season, both as the starter, giving up seven runs over 9.1 innings (1-1, 6.75) with five strikeouts and one walk. In his last start on Tuesday, Sanchez took the loss on the road against the Astros. He threw four innings and gave up two runs on six hits, striking out four and walking one in the 4-2 defeat.

AT THE PLATE

Over the last five games, San Francisco has averaged only 3.0 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.4, while performing worse across the board (.188/.268/.261). Against righties like Sanchez this season, the Giants have a .685 OPS. Joc Pederson is the team’s most potent producer against right-handers with a .849 OPS in 259 at-bats. Minnesota is averaging only 4.0 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.4 for the season. The Twins have a .734 OPS against right-handers in 2022. With a .859 OPS over 328 at-bats, Luis Arraez has been their best hitter against right-handers.

HOME AND AWAY

San Francisco is on a three-game losing streak away from Oracle Park, bringing their record to 27-35 in 2022. The Giants have scored 4.4 runs per game away from home, while allowing 4.7 runs. Minnesota has gone 37-28 in front of their home fans this season, averaging 4.1 runs per game while surrendering 3.9.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Giants are third in the NL West, 26 games behind the division-leading Dodgers. The Twins are second in the AL Central, three games behind the Guardians.