The Minnesota Twins face off against the New York Yankees on Thursday, August 19, to open a four-game series at Yankee Stadium, so here’s the best Twins vs. Yankees betting pick and odds, as the first pitch is set at 7:05 PM ET. 

Back in June, the Yankees won a three-game set at Target Field in Minneapolis, outlasting the Twins through the first two contests, 8-4 and 9-6, before a 7-5 defeat in the closer. New York is a strong fave to win Thursday’s opener at home, while the totals sit at 9.0 runs on MyBookie Sportsbook.

The Twins are enjoying a nice August 

The Minnesota Twins have won nine of their first 15 games in August, but their season has already been ruined, so the Twins can continue to play in a relaxed manner. They were 53-67 on Wednesday, trying to win a three-game home series against Cleveland after splitting the first two tilts with the Indians.

Minnesota has scored 65 runs during that 15-game stretch, smacking 18 home runs and 27 doubles in the process. On the other side of the ball, the Twins have recorded a 4.00 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a .247 batting average against.

Kenta Maeda was projected to get the Yanks on Thursday, but the Twins rescheduled his start for Saturday. Minnesota opted for a bullpen day in the opener, and the Twins relievers have registered a sharp 2.85 ERA and 3.92 FIP over the last two weeks of action.

The surging Yankees continue their playoff race   

The New York Yankees extended their winning streak to five games and improved to 68-52 on the season following 5-3 and 2-0 victories to the Boston Red Sox in Tuesday’s seven-inning doubleheader (Wednesday night’s clash against the Sawx has been excluded from the analysis).

The Yanks are still five games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, but they are tied with the Red Sox and Oakland Athletics for the wild-card spot. New York has won 13 of its first 17 contests in August, scoring 86 runs on a .255/.343/.418 batting line and posting a nice 2.89 ERA in the process.

Jameson Taillon will get the Twins on Thursday. He’s 7-4 in 23 starts this season, carrying a 3.89 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 116/35 K/BB ratio across 118 innings of work. Taillon has been terrific over the last couple of months, posting a sparkly 2.25 ERA and a .224 batting average against through his previous ten starts.

Trends:

Minnesota:

  • 1-7 in the last eight games against the Yankees 
  • 1-4 in the last five road tilts against the AL East

NY Yankees:

  • 15-4 in the last 19 games overall 
  • 9-1 in Jameson Taillon’s last ten starts 

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees Pick

The Twins have improved on the mound in the last few weeks, but their offense hasn’t impressed, and Minnesota will have a tall task against the Yanks’ in-form pitching staff.

The Yankees have done a solid job at the plate so far this month, while their pitching has been remarkable lately. New York’s relievers boast the lowest ERA in the majors in August (1.91), so I’m backing the Yanks to extend their good run of form.

Twins vs. Yankees Pick : Yankees -235

The Total:

I’ve mentioned how good the Twins bullpen is at the moment, but Minnesota could easily struggle with depth. The Twins will have to start regressing at some point, though the Yankees’ offense doesn’t look like a massive challenge.

Betting on the hosts seems like a slam dunk, while the totals are a tricky wager. The Yankees are killing it on the mound, so the under should be the right move, but I don’t trust the Twins ‘pen despite its recent record.

Twins vs. Yankees Total : Over 10.5