While Toronto’s vaunted offense continues to slumber, the Blue Jays keep sliding down the AL East standings. The Jays were built to score runs, not around pitching. If the offense doesn’t wake up, the window could close on another postseason trip. Minnesota’s shaky pitching has allowed opponents to get well, the Jays are next up.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
In what has become a hauntingly bad season for the Twins, they ended the week on a positive note by taking the final two games of a three-game weekend set with Cleveland. Minnesota ended an eight-game slide with Saturday’s 6-3 victory over the Tribe and claimed just its third series victory of the year, while posting back-to-back wins for the first time in nearly a month with Sunday’s 5-1 decision.
The Twins still have a long way to go and they are taking baby steps to get back on the right track. Even then, it may not change their fortunes. Minnesota is the biggest money pit in baseball, in the red 15.45 units on the moneyline this season.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
For the second time this season Aaron Sanchez (3-1, 3.29 ERA) allowed six earned runs when the Rangers touched him for seven hits in 6.2 innings on Sunday. He walked four and struck out six but was taken off the hook for a loss. It was only the second time in eight starts that Sanchez failed to record a quality start. Two runs charged to him scored after Sanchez had departed in the seventh inning.
Despite the shaky outing, Sanchez still owns a respectable 3.29 ERA across 52.0 innings. The young right-hander will make just his second start and third appearance against the Twins when he takes the bump on Friday.
Tyler Duffey (1-2, 1.85 ERA) is coming off his first win and his best start of the season after tossing seven scoreless innings against the Indians on Sunday. He scattered six hits and a walk with six strikeouts. The right-hander lowered his ERA to a sparkling 1.85 and has 23 punchouts with just five walks in 24.1 innings.
Duffey was the club’s best starter down the stretch last season as a rookie and has again been impressive. He was roughed up by the Blue Jays in his major league debut surrendering six earned runs on five hits, including a pair of home runs, and taking the loss on Aug. 5, 2015 in Canada.
LIVE BETTING
It was the kind of sequence that has essentially been a microcosm for the Twins’ struggles this year, especially late in games. Closer Kevin Jepsen was twice one strike away from getting out of a ninth inning jam against the Orioles last week. He proceeded to give up a two-out double that set the stage for a go-ahead two-run single. The Twins lost 5-3.
It was another tough outing for Jepsen, who has four losses and a 5.28 ERA as the Twins closer with Glen Perkins out with a shoulder injury. Jepsen has just two saves and three blown opportunities through the weekend and the Twins have been outscored 51-35 over the final three innings of games this season, leading to their 10-26 record.
QUICK PICK
The Twins just haven’t been good this season and it’s been a total team effort. The starters have struggled and the bullpen has been equally bad. The offense hasn’t been able to pick up the pitching staff, either, averaging just 3.56 runs per game while fighting to stay above .230 in team batting. Things might turn around for Minny, but we have a large enough sample size that tells us the Twins might be the worst team in the American League. Things haven’t gone well for the Jays either, but they could turn that around with a set in the Twin Cities.
MLB Odds: Toronto 4, Minnesota 3
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