The Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees kick off a four-game series on Monday with their first matchup since meeting in the AL Wild Card game last October. The Yankees won a wild one in the Bronx that day. They’ll be looking for a similar result, but a much less eventful path to the victory on Monday. So far this year, the Twins have been the better team based on record, but New York has held in there in spite of a rash of injuries.
First pitch for the game between the (Two teams) is scheduled for Monday, April 23, 2018, at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. The matchup will be shown on ESPN.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Odds Analysis
The Twins have won four of their last five games and are now sitting atop the AL Central. Even with the recent winning, Minnesota’s offense has gone slight lately. In the two-game Puerto Rico series, the Twins scored just three runs in 25 innings of work.
Logan Morrison is 3-for-44 on the seasons with a .180 OBP and dismal -21 OPS+. He’s been miserable and he’s not alone. Jason Castro is batting .167, Byron Buxton was hitting .195 before going on the DL and Robbie Grossman is just 2-for-23.
Overall, the Twins have scored the second fewest runs in the AL. Much of that is a result of playing just 13 games. They’ve not had the opportunity to score runs like some teams, but have also gone cold with all their postponements.
On the positive side, Joe Mauer is hitting .364 with a .500 OBP and has just seven strikeouts in 56 at bats. Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano each have four homers.
The Yankees also have a number of slow offensive starters. New York has had a few key injuries, putting guys like Tyler Austin and Tyler Wade in the everyday lineup. Wade is batting .094, but the bigger issues are Gary Sanchez who is hitting .190 and Giancarlo Stanton who is batting .197 with 29 strikeouts. He’s especially struggled at home where this game is being played.
Probable Pitchers
Jake Odorizzi has been an every other start kind of pitcher in the early going. He’s notched quality starts in his first and third start while coming up short in the second and fourth. If the pattern continues, that should leave him throwing a gem on Monday.
The former Ray is coming off a four-run, five-inning start against the Indians in a playoff type atmosphere down in Puerto Rico. The bright lights of New York should seem tame by comparison.
Overall this season, Odorizzi is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 21.1 innings of work. He’s allowed just 18 hits, but does have 11 walks and four home runs allowed as he does tend to lose control from time-to-time. Odorizzi has done well limiting the damage, but his 5.31 FIP and 1.359 WHIP paint the picture of someone who has been just as lucky as he’s been good.
A career AL East pitcher before this year, Odorizzi has 14 career starts against the Yankees and has been serviceable. He’s 5-7 against them with a 4.31 ERA though is 1.138 WHIP shows paints a bit more of an optimistic picture compared to the ERA.
As for Tanaka, the Yankees’ starter, he’s having a rough start to the season for the second year in a row.
In four starts, Tanaka is 2-2 with a 6.45 ERA. He’s limited the free passes, but has been incredibly hittable allowing 24 hits and five homers in 22.1 innings.
Much like Odorizzi, Tanaka has been a bit hot and cold in his starts, but his two bad outings have come in his last two starts.
Last year, Tanaka was just 13-12 with a 4.74 ERA in his 30 starts and started the year with a 5.47 first half ERA. Of course, he was a different pitcher at home than on the road with a 3.22 home ERA so the two trends negate themselves a bit there.
Against the Twins, Tanaka is 4-0 in four starts so he should go into the game with confidence. He’s pitching at home, where he was his best last year and against a team that hasn’t beaten him. Will that win out in the matchup or is his latest trends—back-to-back bad starts—more important?
Live Betting
Head to head against Odorizzi, a couple key Yankees have been bad. Didi Gregorius is 2-for-16 with a .118 OBP while Brett Gardner is 6-for-29.
On the other side, Morrison is 4-for-21 with eight strikeouts against Tanaka and Joe Mauer is just 1-for-10 with four Ks.
The bullpens are also key to this matchup. The Yankees have the best collection of relievers in the game, but the Twins pen arms are pitching better right now.
Dellin Betances continues to struggle with command after having serious issues at the end of last year. He’s allowed three homers and 11 hits in 7.2 innings. Tommy Kahnle is on the DL after scuffling. Aroldis Chapman, David Robertson and Chad Green are all performing well enough, but none are truly dominating.
In Minnesota, on the other hand, Addison Reed and Ryan Pressly have combined to go 17.1 innings with just one run allowed and 11 hits given up.
Fernando Rondey has been good enough in the closer’s role, but the set up options in Minnesota have outperformed the Yankees to this point.
MLB Pick
Neither starter has been announced, but provided it’s Odorizzi versus Tanaka, the Twins may have the edge in the game. Odorizzi has gotten the job done in his four starts this season while Tanaka has struggled like he did at the start of the 2017 campaign.
If nothing else, predictability is on the side of the Twins who also have a much-improved bullpen against a good—but struggling—Yankee crop of relievers.
Look for the Twins to scratch across a few early runs against Tanaka and add on as the game goes along, maintaining a lead for the bullpen.
MLB Odds: Twins 6, Yankees 3
Load your betting bankroll from your smartphone with BookMaker’s new cashier feature! Depositing and withdrawing funds from your account has never been easier. BookMaker's live betting platform means you always have access to odds and lines to every sporting event. Click here and start wagering today!
