Minnesota Twins (57-53) vs. Los Angeles Angels (49-63)
It is a battle of two teams fighting for a playoff spot in the American League when the Minnesota Twins begin a three-game series with the Los Angeles on Friday. Minnesota enters this series 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the top record in the AL Central and are 1.0 games out of the wildcard chase. They are losers of three straight contests. Los Angeles is trying to stay alive in the AL wildcard chase, winners of their last three has them 10.0 games out.
Minnesota enters as the favorite at -120 with the odds set for Los Angeles at +100. The total is 8.0 (over: -110, under: -110). These teams have not faced each other since July of last season. The Angels won four of the seven meetings last year.
The Minnesota Twins had held the top spot in the AL Central for much of the last month, but suddenly find themselves in second place thanks to a 4-5 start to August. The team was swept by the Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday, falling to 26-28 on the road.
?? Crack of the bat.
?? Chef's kiss, El Gary. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/XCJPQdLVB0— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 11, 2022
The Twins have put together a solid offense, averaging 4.58 runs per game, 11th overall. They are ninth in team batting average (.250), 11th in OPS (.737), and ninth in homeruns (136). They have been solid in August, hitting .247 with nine home runs in nine games. However, the run production is down a tad, as they have scored 38 runs in nine games, an average of 4.22 runs per contest.
Minnesota starts right-hander Tyler Mahle, who is 5-7 with a 4.49 ERA in 20 starts. The right-hander was rocked by Toronto in his last outing, giving up four runs in 6.0 innings (August 5). After spending nearly 3 weeks on the disabled list, he has looked solid in his three starts since returning from the DL (July 24), allowing nine earned runs in 18.0 innings. Mahle has been good for six innings, which is good, because the bullpen has a 3.98 ERA, 19th overall.