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Twins vs Indians Odds, Lines and Spread – July 30

Chris Amberley

by Chris Amberley in MLB Baseball

Updated Jul 30, 2020 · 6:34 AM PDT

Cleveland Indians
Cy Young candidate Shane Bieber struck out 14 batters in Cleveland's season opener vs KC. Photo by Erik Drost (Wiki Commons).
  • The Minnesota Twins are short favorites over the Cleveland Indians in a game that features a total of 8.5
  • Shane Bieber (1-0, 0.00 ERA) will start for Cleveland, while Minnesota will counter with Jose Berrios (0-0, 11.25 ERA)
  • Read below for a preview and betting prediction for the game

The class of the AL Central will square off the first time in 2020 on Thursday as Cleveland (4-2) travels to Minnesota (4-1) to face the Twins. Minnesota has won three straight, while Cleveland was blanked by the Chicago White Sox 4-0 in its last outing.

Indians vs Twins Odds

Team Moneyline Runline Total at DraftKings
Cleveland Indians -105 -1.5 (+150) Over 8.5 (-113)
Minnesota Twins -110 +1.5 (-180) Under 8.5 (-107)

Odds taken July 30th.

Minny is currently a small favorite in the Indians vs Twins odds, and the game features a total of 8.5 ahead of the 7:07 pm EST first pitch. Minnesota took the season series 10-9 over Cleveland in 2019, but were 0-2 versus Thursday’s starter Shane Bieber.

Bieber Fever

The Indians ace turned in an incredible performance in Cleveland’s season opener, striking out a record-setting 14 batters. Bieber, who finished fourth in Cy Young voting last year, became the first pitcher to strike out 14 hitters in a season opener since Randy Johnson back in 1996.

He gave up just four hits in six scoreless innings versus KC and has a fantastic track record versus the Twins. In nine career starts, he’s 3-0 against Minny with a 4.14 ERA, and is 1-0 at the Twins Target Field.

Twins Career Stats vs Bieber

Player AB H HR RBI K AVG.
Luis Arraez 8 1 0 0 0 .125
Josh Donaldson 2 2 2 4 0 1.000
Jorge Polanco 15 5 0 2 3 .333
Nelson Cruz 7 1 0 0 5 .143
Eddie Rosario 17 6 3 3 4 .353
Miguel Sano 16 6 1 2 7 .375
Max Kepler 18 4 0 1 5 .222
Marwin Gonzalez 9 6 1 2 0 .667
Alex Avila 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Minnesota’s offense is no joke though, and a handful of Twins batters have fared quite well versus Bieber in the past. Newcomer Josh Donaldson has homered off him twice in his only two at-bats, and Eddie Rosario has taken him deep three times in 17 plate appearances. Minnesota’s offense hit an MLB best 307 home runs last season and have already cranked 10 homers in five games this season.

Berrios Beaten Up in Debut

The Twins will counter with right-hander Jose Berrios, who was hit hard in his first start. The two-time All-Star surrendered five runs in just 4 innings against the White Sox, and struck out only one.

Hopefully for Minnesota fans, that last outing was just a blip on the radar, and Berrios will rebound on Thursday. The 26-year-old has fared very well against Cleveland in the past, posting a 5-2 record with a 3.92 ERA in 11 career starts.

Indians Career Stats vs Berrios

Player AB H HR RBI K AVG.
Cesar Hernandez 2 0 0 0 0 .000
Jose Ramirez 29 5 0 2 2 .172
Francisco Lindor 26 6 0 6 3 .231
Carlos Santana 17 6 1 4 2 .353
Franmil Reyes 3 1 0 0 0 .333
Bradley Zimmer 2 0 0 0 1 .000
Domingo Santana 3 1 0 0 1 .333
Beau Taylor 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Oscar Mercado 0 0 0 0 0 .000

The Indians’ offense is off to a very slow start in 2020, averaging just 3.7 runs per outing. They’re batting .231 through six contests and have hit half as many home runs as the Twins (5) despite playing one more game.

Berrios meanwhile, has been a much better pitcher at home than on the road in his career. He allows 1.29 fewer runs per outing and has a .641 winning percentage at Target Field, compared to just a .474 winning percentage away from home.

Play the Under

Despite the potency of the Twins offense, the under stands out as the best play in this game. Minnesota has yet to face an elite pitcher this season and Bieber looked unhittable in his opening start. It’s somewhat concerning that a handful of Twins hitters have a strong history against him, but the way he looked last week not even a line-up full of Mike Trout’s could touch him.

Cleveland’s early offensive struggles are another reason to like the under in this matchup, and we’ll bet on Berrios reverting back to his long term form.

Pick: Under 8.5 (-107)

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