After defeating the Padres on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball in their last game, the Dodgers increased their league-best record to 75-33. They did just have to place future hall-of-famer Clayton Kershaw on the injured list, but still remain the betting favorites to win the World Series. While it feels as though they have the NL West all but locked up, the Twins are fighting tooth and nail to maintain their lead in the AL Central. Both teams are heading into this series rested, as they each had off on Monday. Although they don't play each other often, there's plenty of markets to mak e this series opener profitable. Along with this same game parlay, be sure to check out our thoughts on the side and total for all of today's games.
Twins +1.5 (-115)
Over 7.5 total runs (-166)
Trea Turner 2+ total bases (-125)
Parlay odds: +507
Let's take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay.
Minnesota Twins +1.5 (-115) over Los Angeles Dodgers
Heading out west to take on the Dodgers is a tough task for any team, but the Twins have an opportunity to pull off an upset in this spot. L.A. is coming off an emotional sweep of the rival Padres, capped off by a nationally televised win. While emotional letdown spots are completely arbitrary, it's simply a secondary reason to expect a strong performance from Minnesota. After handling the AL wildcard-leading Blue Jays 7-3 on Saturday, they narrowly lost the series finale while covering the run line. However, they lost that game on a controversial interference call at home plate, and with Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa resting.
Those 2 superstars will be back in the lineup tonight, as it was deliberately stated that Sunday was just a rest day. The last time Buxton was in Dodger Stadium, he hit the game-winning home run for the American League in the all-star game. As for Correa, he has a .341 batting average and .614 slugging percentage against the Dodgers. That's all great news for Twins starter Joe Ryan. He's largely lived up to his rookie hype, and should be comfortable heading out to California, as he's from there. This will be his most challenging start, but he's maintained numbers well above league average in WHIP, xERA, and xwOBA. He's been strong recently, allowing 2 or fewer earned runs in 5 of his last 6 starts. However, that 1 was down in San Diego. Now coming off a 9-strikeout win, Ryan can get his west-coast revenge behind a healthy lineup.''