The Guardians (62-69, 29-36 away) travel to take on the Twins (68-63, 39-27 home) in game one of this AL Central matchup. Xzavion Curry is getting the start for the Guardians while Kenta Maeda is starting for the Twins. See who I like to pick up the win in today’s Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins showdown at Target Field.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS VS MINNESOTA TWINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Guardians +140

This game will be played at Target Field at 7:40 ET on Monday, August 28th.

WHY BET THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS:

  • Over their last five games on the road, Cleveland has a straight-up record of 3-2.
  • Coming into the game, the Twins have gone just 4-6 in their last ten home games.
  • The Guardians have gone 0-2 in Kenta Maeda’s last two starts.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

131 games into the season, the Guardians have a record of 62-69, putting them 2nd in the AL Central. This mark includes an overall series 16-21-3. At home, they are 33-33 compared to 29-36 on the road.

The Guardians will turn to Xzavion Curry, who has a 3-2 record over 32 appearances this season. His ERA is 3.51 with a K/9 of 6.19, and his FIP is 4.10 with an OBP of .288.

Xzavion Curry will attempt to rebound from a brief appearance against the Dodgers. In the Guardians’ 6-1 defeat, he allowed three runs in two frames of action.

This season, the Guardians are 23rd in the league at 4 runs per game. Over their last ten games, they have a combined batting average of .220 (20th) leading to 4 runs per contest. Overall, they are generating 2.9 walks per game compared to 7 strikeouts. Cleveland’s on-base percentage of .311 has them 17th in the MLB.

José Ramírez has been a force for the Guardians this season, leading the team with 21 home runs and 3 in their last ten games. His overall batting average stands at .279, making him a consistent offensive threat.

WILL THE MINNESOTA TWINS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

The Twins take on the Guardians sitting in first place in AL Central on an overall record of 68-63. Overall, they have played in 40 series, going 19-17-4. This season, they have put together a 29-36 record on the road and 39-27 at home.

The Minnesota Twins will look to Kenta Maeda, who has a 3-7 record in 15 appearances this season. The right-hander has an ERA of 4.22, a K/9 of 10.61, a FIP of 3.89, and an OBP of .285.

Kenta Maeda’s most recent outing saw him toss five innings for the Minnesota Twins, in which he yielded three runs on four hits and was unable to secure a decision. Unfortunately, the Brewers ultimately emerged victorious with an 8-7 scoreline.

Offensively, Minnesota is ranked 14th in the league with an average of 4.5 runs per game. When looking over their last five matchups, the Twins averaged 7 runs per contest, which is 3rd best in that span. In terms of their power numbers, Minnesota is 5th in all of baseball, with a total of 182 home runs.

Max Kepler has been a major contributor to the Twins’ offensive success this season, leading the team in home runs with 21 and RBIs with 50. His slugging percentage for the year is an impressive .488.