The Minnesota Twins (8-4) visit the New York Yankees (8-4) Thursday for the opener of a 4-game series. The first pitch at Yankee Stadium is slated for 7:05 p.m. ET (MLB Network). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Twins vs. Yankees odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting of 2023. The Yankees went 5-2 against the Twins last season and 6-1 against them in 2021.
Minnesota is coming off back-to-back wins in pitchers’ duels. The Twins have played 8 games since April 4, and 7 of them have totaled 7 runs or fewer.
New York won Tuesday and Wednesday to take a 2-1 series win at the Cleveland Guardians. Yankees pitchers own a 2.72 ERA overall (3rd in MLB), and the club is 4-1 across its last 5 games.
Twins at Yankees projected starters
RHP Joe Ryan vs. RHP Jhony Brito
Ryan (2-0, 3.75 ERA) is making his 3rd start. He has a 0.75 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9 and 12.0 K/9 through 12 IP.
- Owns a 3.64 ERA across 34 career games
- Logged a 4.22 ERA and 1.22 WHIP on the road last season
Brito (2-0, 0.90 ERA) is making his 3rd start. He owns a 0.80 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 7.2 K/9 through 10 IP.
- Pitched 5 scoreless innings in his MLB debut against the San Francisco Giants on April 2
- Registered a 2.08 ERA in 13 spring training innings
Twins at Yankees odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:30 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Twins +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Yankees -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Twins +1.5 (-160) | Yankees -1.5 (+135)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Twins at Yankees picks and predictions
Prediction
Yankees 6, Twins 4
Moneyline
New York has really had Minnesota’s number in past years, and the Twins come into this series a bit banged up. The Yankees are a lean but only up to -145 tops. PASS.
Run line/Against the spread
STEER CLEAR.
Again, the at-home Yanks (57-24 at Yankee Stadium last season) are a lean. The Twins figure to be a bit too far over their skis so far based on run-scoring and defense-support analytics. New York -1.5 (+140) would have some value.
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Over/Under
The Over is 15-5-1 in the last 21 meetings between these clubs in New York.
Brito has been barreled up at a hefty 11.5% rate so far and Ryan yields a lot of fly-ball contact. Both have been fortunate to pitch with low batting averages on balls in play so far.
Fading both starters and both bullpens (both top-5 in ERA so far) on a warm evening with a forecast of an outward breeze. BACK THE OVER 8.5 (-110).
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