Bet $5 & Get $200 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins
Nationals vs Twins Picks, Odds & Starting Pitchers (April 22)
By George Nassios in MLB Baseball
Published:
- The Nationals play the 2nd of a 3 game set against the Twins on Saturday, April 22nd
- With one of their best starters on the hill, the Twins are huge -275 favorites
- Check out the Nationals vs Twins odds below, plus our best bet and prediction
It won’t be the most pleasant baseball weather at Target Field when the Nationals (6-13, 4-4 away) and Twins (11-9, 4-3 home) resume their series on Saturday, April 22nd. Temperatures are expected to be just above freezing for the matinee affair that’s scheduled to begin at 2:10pm ET and can be seen on Bally Sports Network.
Home fans were fully expecting a three-game sweep of the Nationals, who are tied for the longest World Series odds with the Rockies and Athletics, but that won’t happen after Washington came back to beat Minny 3-2 in the series opener.
Have a look at the Nationals vs Twins odds below, plus our best bet and pick for this matchup.
Nationals vs Twins Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | +225 | +1.5 (+106) | O 7 (-122) |
| Minnesota Twins | -275 | -1.5 (-128) | U 7 (+100) |
While the Twins are heavy -275 moneyline favorites, this game also features an extremely low over/under total of seven runs. That’s partly due to the fact Washington owns one of the worst offenses in all of baseball.
Odds as of April 21st at FanDuel. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code.
Washington vs Minnesota Starting Pitchers
It hasn’t exactly been a banner start to Chad Kuhl’s career as a National. The 30-year old has given up at least four runs in each of his three starts this season and owns an ugly 8.59 ERA.
He was signed as a free agent by Washington in the winter after a tough season with the Rockies last year where he went 6-11 with a 5.72 ERA. In total this season he’s given up 14 earned runs in just 14 and two-thirds innings pitched.
Kuhl vs Lopez Stats
Chad Kuhl
VS
Pablo Lopez
| 0-1 | Record | 1-1 |
| 8.59 | ERA | 1.73 |
| 1.71 | WHIP | 0.81 |
| 14.2 | IP | 26 |
| 5.5 | SO/9 | 11.4 |
This is set up as a pitching mismatch if there ever was one. Like Kuhl, Pablo Lopez also switched teams in the off-season, but that’s where the similarities end. Coming over in a trade from the Marlins, Lopez has been dynamite this year giving up two runs or less in all four of his starts.
Coming into Friday’s MLB action, the Venezuelan led the American League in strikeouts. Facing a Nationals side that got shutout twice in a row before arriving in Minnesota, expect Lopez to pad his stats. Although it’s early, he might be worth a longshot bet in the Cy Young odds.
Nationals Offense Finally Shows Signs of Life
If you’re looking at the run total throughout Nationals games in the MLB odds this season, expect the number for their contests to always be on the low end of the spectrum.
They finally snapped a streak of 24 consecutive innings without scoring a run against the Twins Friday night as they came back from a two run deficit to win 3-2.
Joey Meneses is on the board.#NATITUDE pic.twitter.com/EFxMV0I9R5
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) April 22, 2023
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say, they have one of the worst MLB lineups, as they are the only squad that hasn’t reached double digits in home runs as a team so far this season. They’ve only scored more than three runs in two of their last eight games.
Nationals vs Twins Prediction
Admittedly, the Nationals are trending towards the under, which they’ve hit easily in three straight games. They’ve already been shutout four times in just 19 games this season, so we can understand why the run total is pegged at just seven runs.
However, consider the pitcher they’re sending to the hill as well. In Kuhl’s three starts, the Nats have hit the over every single time. In total, they’ve combined with their opponents to score 39 runs when Kuhl has gotten the ball. That’s an average of 13 per game.
Chad Kuhl's ERA went from 8.10 to start the game and he exits at 8.59 after he is pulled at 4 2/3 innings giving up 5 earned runs.
— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) April 15, 2023
Notwithstanding a terrific opening month for Lopez, we can see the Twins putting seven on the board on their own and sending Kuhl to the showers early. Our prediction is that the over hits in this one in spite of the lackluster sticks the Nationals bring to the plate.
Pick: Over 7 Runs (-122)
George Nassios
Sports Writer
George has had a lifelong love affair with sports and studying sports statistics since he was a kid. He graduated from Ryerson University with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and has worked in the sports & media industry ever since in various roles from writer to producer.
NFL
NBA
MLB
NHL
Soccer
NCAAB
