Twins vs Tigers Picks and Odds
- The Minnesota Twins visit the Detroit Tigers on Friday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Comerica Park
- Left-hander Charlie Barnes will make his MLB debut for the Twins and face Jose Urena (2-8, 6.43)
- A look at the matchup of AL Central team along with a prediction can be found below
The Minnesota Twins hope to pick up where they left off before the All-Star break when they meet the host Detroit Tigers at 2:10 pm ET Friday in the opener of a day-night doubleheader at Comerica Park.
The Twins swept a four-game series from the Tigers last weekend in Minneapolis. Both teams then had four days off for the break.
The Tigers (40-51) had won sixth of their previous eight games before running into the Twins (39-50). Minnesota has won six of eight overall following a five-game losing streak.
Twins vs Tigers Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins | -115 | -1.5 (+145) | O 7 (-120) |
| Detroit Tigers | -105 | +1.5 (-165) | U 7 (+100) |
Odds as of July 15th at DraftKings.
Rookie left-hander Charlie Barnes will be called up from Triple-A St. Paul to start for the Twins and make his major league debut. He was 5-2 with a 4.34 ERA in 11 starts for the Saints this season.
Jose Urena (2-8, 6.43) goes for the Tigers. He is 0-4 with an 11.91 ERA in six starts since being activated from the injured list June 6.
Barnes vs Urena
| 0-0 | Record | 2-8 |
| — | ERA | 6.43 |
| — | xERA | 6.20 |
| — | WHIP | 1.69 |
| — | SO/W Ratio | 1.35 |
Best Bet for Twins vs Tigers
The Twins will give the ball to Barnes, a 25-year-old who was their fourth-round draft pick from Clemson in 2017.
Barnes won his last two starts for St. Paul, allowing five runs in 12.1 innings. He last pitched July 8 against Iowa (Cubs), going 5.1 innings and allowing three runs, five hits and three runs while striking out four.
Barnes also pitched five no-hit innings June 19 to beat Iowa, the Chicago Cubs’ top farm club.
In four minor league seasons, he has a 22-18 record and 3.70 ERA.
Tigers left fielder Robbie Grossman has been on base in 14 straight games while utility player Harold Castro has a six-game hitting streak and second baseman Jonathan Schoop has a hit in five straight games.
Castro is batting .500 with one double and five RBIs during his run. Schoop is hitting .318 with one double and three RBIs in his streak.
Ron Gardenhire on Harold Castro: "He can HIT."@Tigers | #Tigers | #MotorOn pic.twitter.com/QxCyVAJ2hg
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) July 17, 2019
Urena has struggled mightily for the Tigers after missing 10 days with a strained right forearm.
He has not pitched more than 4.2 innings in any of those six outings and that occurred his last time out, which was July 6 against the Texas Rangers on the road. He was tagged for five runs and six hits while striking out three and walking four.
Urena has four quality starts this season in 16 games but none since May 2. He is 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA in seven home games and 0-5 with a 7.22 ERA in nine games at night.
At least, spring training went well for Urena.
Old Friend José Ureña just pitched 3 perfect innings for the Tigers pic.twitter.com/LS1qzwVR6G
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) March 12, 2021
Earlier this season, Urena made his first two career starts against the Twins and went 0-1 with an 8.59 ERA. He surrendered eight runs (seven earned) in 7.1 innings.
Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson is 4 for 8 against Urena in his career with a double and a home run.
Left fielder Luis Arraez is on a seven-game hitting streak for the Twins, going 13 for 30 (.433).
Designated hitter Nelson Cruz is hitting .351 in his last 31 games with six doubles, eight home runs, 21 RBIs and 18 walks. Center fielder Max Kepler is batting .344 with one double, one triple, four homers and eight RBIs in his past nine games.
Nelson Cruz video shoot for #ASG. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/PdrTVE4C8Q
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) July 12, 2021
The Twins have gone 7-2 against the Tigers this year and hold a 50-26 advantage since the start of the 2017 season.
On Sunday, Jorge Polanco hit a game-ending three-run homer in the 10th for the Twins to complete the sweep. The second baseman is hitting .351 (13 for 37) against the Tigers this season with three doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs.
Polanco had three hits and five RBIs while Alex Kiriloff and Kepler each had two hits and drove in two runs for the Twins.
How 'bout we start the second half the way we finished the first?! #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/L7gPKGXnot
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 15, 2021
Jake Rogers had given the Tigers a 9-8 lead with a grand slam in the top of the ninth, but the Twins’ Ben Rortvedt tied it with a solo shot in the bottom half. Akil Baddoo homered and drove in three runs for the Tigers.
Tyler Duffey (1-2) pitched a scoreless 10th for the win. Gregory Soto (4-2) took the loss.
While Barnes is a wild card in his MLB debut, the play here is to fade Urena and the Tigers as the Twins continue their dominance in the series.
Pick: Minnesota Twins Moneyline (-115)
John Perrotto has been covering and writing about sports for various outlets for over 40 years. His work has appeared in the likes of USA TODAY, ESPN.com, SI.com, Forbes.com, The Associated Press, Baseball Digest, and more. John is based out of Beaver Falls, PA.
