Red Sox vs Twins Odds, Lines, and Spread (April 14)
- The Minnesota Twins are -140 home favorites vs the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday afternoon
- Eduardo Rodriguez will start for Boston, while Minnesota will counter with Jose Berrios
- Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the second leg of Wednesday’s double-header
The Boston Red Sox go up against the Minnesota Twins in their series finale on Wednesday night. The Red Sox won on Tuesday by a score of 4-2 as Boston scored once in the eighth and once in the ninth to secure a win. The game is set to start at approximately 5:40 pm EDT.
Minnesota opened up as a -140 favorite but are they poised to take the finale of this three-game series?
Red Sox vs Twins Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | +120 | +1.5 (-150) | Over 9 (-120) |
| Minnesota Twins | -140 | -1.5 (+130) | Under 9 (+100) |
Odds as of April 13th.
Eduardo Rodriguez Thankful Just To Be Pitching
Eduardo Rodriguez made his season debut for Boston and was able to pitch five solid innings to gain his first win since 2019. Rodriguez was able to strike out seven batters but got knocked around, giving up two home runs and several hard-hit balls. Those were the bad parts of the outing. He expects to be eased into the rotation but the encouraging thing was the zip on his fastball.
#RedSox got the W and so did Eduardo Rodriguez pic.twitter.com/n0snRRQAi0
— Nick Sledge (@thenicksledge) April 9, 2021
This was simply more than just a win given what Rodriguez went through. He got COVID, developed a heart condition, and recovered from it all. The expectation is that the starting pitcher will be eased up to a more “normal” workload.
RSPTBNL Daily Sox Take….
Eduardo Rodriguez and Garrett Whitlock should be scheduled to piggy back each other in games until Rodriguez is built up#RedSox | #DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/Ee6RjYigbK— Red Sox Podcast to be Named Later (@RedSoxPod_BSS) April 9, 2021
Now Rodriguez faces a Minnesota team that he has enjoyed a little success against. The Boston Red Sox starter has a 3-1 career record with a 3.41 ERA versus the Twins.
Twins Career Stats vs Rodriguez
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luis Arraez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Willians Astudillo | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| Byron Buxton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| Jake Cave | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 |
| Nelson Cruz | 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .167 |
| Max Kepler | 13 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | .308 |
| Jorge Polanco | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .143 |
| Miguel Sano | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .500 |
| Andrelton Simmons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Red Sox Offense Expects Stern Challenge
On Wednesday night, the Boston Red Sox face Jose Berrios, who has gotten off to quite the start in 2020. After striking out 12 batters in his season opener, he followed up with a solid 5.2innings in the Twins’ home opener last Thursday.
He expects to be one of Minnesota’s top starters in 2021. He currently has a 2-0 record with a 1.54 ERA and 20 strikeouts. The two-time All-Star won 14 games in 2019 and looks to have recaptured that form. That form has given him an early boost in the Cy Young odds.
Top #MLB pitchers in Adjusted Game Score through April 11:
1. Joe Musgrove: 71
2. Corbin Burnes: 57
3. Jacob deGrom: 53
4. Tyler Glasnow 43
T5. Jose Berrios/Lance Lynn: 40
T7. Kevin Gausman/Aaron Civale: 39
9. Gerrit Cole: 38
10. Sandy Alcantara: 35 pic.twitter.com/Drjn8bDK70— MLB Math (@MLB_Math) April 12, 2021
Berrios shows an ability to pitch with a longer leash (perhaps more than 80-90 pitches in this start coming up. His adjusted game score nearly approaches pitchers like Lance Lynn and Gerrit Cole. That is some heady company and could be the beginning of a special season.
More importantly, Boston’s batters have had little success against Berrios, career-wise, even hitters like JD Martinez, Rafael Devers, and Xavier Bogaerts. Martinez does have five hits and four runs batted in but hit very few balls hard off the Minnesota starter.
Red Sox Career Stats vs Berrios
| Player | AB | H | HR | RBI | K | AVG. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Arroyo | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .200 |
| Xavier Bogaerts | 15 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 1 | .400 |
| Rafael Devers | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 |
| Marwin Gonzalez | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| J.D. Martinez | 15 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .467 |
| Kevin Plawecki | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .091 |
| Hunter Renfroe | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 |
| Christian Vazquez | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 |
Take the Twins
The Twins did not have an easy time scoring runs at times and they could not produce hits late in the series opener on Tuesday. Their bullpen could not quite hold it together against Boston as they allowed those two crucial runs.
Minnesota does have a capable offense, usually. If the Twins can get to Rodriguez early enough to impact his pitch count, Minnesota could see a lot of the Red Sox bullpen early.
With Rodriguez being eased in, Minnesota should be able to hit a few hard-hit balls more than usual led by Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. The Twins on the moneyline is my pick.
Pick: Minnesota Twins ML (-140)
A journalist veteran for over two decades, Chris has taught the gamut of fantasy hockey sports online from injuries to news to prospects, and more. He has bet on several sports and written sports betting articles about the NBA, MLB, NCAA football, the NFL, and NHL for USA Today.
