The Diamondbacks (57-53, 29-25 away) travel to take on the Twins (56-54, 30-24 home) in game one of this interleague matchup. Merrill Kelly is getting the start for the Diamondbacks while Bailey Ober is starting for the Twins. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Minnesota Twins showdown at Target Field.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS VS MINNESOTA TWINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Arizona Diamondbacks +111

This game will be played at Target Field at 8:10 ET on Friday, August 4th.

WHY BET THE ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS:

  • Coming into the game, the Twins have gone just 4-6 in their last ten home games.
  • Over their last five games as the favorite, the Twins are just 2-3 (straight-up).
  • For the season, the Diamondbacks have gone 11-7 with Merrill Kelly on the mound as the starter.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN NL WEST

Entering with a record of 57-53, the Diamondbacks are in 3rd place in the NL West and are losers of three straight games. So far, they have a road win percentage of 53.7% compared to 50.0% at home. Arizona’s overall series record stands at 19-13-3.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly has been a reliable presence on the mound this season, boasting a 9-5 record and 3.23 ERA. His road ERA is 2.80, while his home ERA is 3.76. Kelly’s WHIP for the season stands at 1.16, with opposing teams mustering a .207 batting average against him and a slugging percentage of .345.

Merrill Kelly was dealt the loss in his last start against the Mariners, surrendering three runs on seven hits as Arizona dropped the game 4-0.

So far this season, the Diamondbacks’ has gone deep 123 times, placing them 17th in the league. Over Arizona’s previous five games, they are 16th in runs scored, with their season average of 4.8 runs per game putting them 9th in the league. The Diamondbacks’ overall team batting average stands at .255 along with an OBP of .323.

Over the past five games, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has been the Diamondbacks’ most productive hitter, batting .363 and leading the team in hits. This season, he’s hitting .252 with 58 RBIs.

WILL THE MINNESOTA TWINS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

So far this season, Minnesota has played in 34 series, going 15-15-4. Their current record of 56-54 is good for first place in the AL Central. On the road, the Twins have gone 26-30 compared to 30-24 at home.

The Twins will turn to starter Bailey Ober, who has a 6-5 record so far this season. In 17 appearances, his ERA is 3.19 and he has an impressive K/9 of 8.67. His FIP is 3.76 and opponents have a .271 OBP against him.

His record for the season is now 0-2, and he has a 6.75 ERA.

Bailey Ober’s most recent outing against the Royals ended in a loss for the Twins, as he allowed six runs on 11 hits over four innings of work.

Offensively, Minnesota is ranked 17th in the league with an average of 4.4 runs per game. When looking over their last ten matchups, the Twins averaged 3.8 runs per contest, which is 8th best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Minnesota is 8th in all of baseball, with a total of 144 home runs.

The Minnesota Twins have seen Matt Wallner take the lead in home runs over their last five games, with two long balls. The outfielder has tallied a total of six home runs this season and boasts a .254 batting average.