The Cleveland Indians (8-6) will try to overtake the Minnesota Twins (7-4) for first place in the American League Central on Tuesday when they face them for the first time this season in the opener of this two-game series in Puerto Rico.
The last two games of the Indians' series against the Toronto Blue Jays and the Twins' previous three versus the Chicago White Sox were postponed due to poor weather over the weekend, so the warmer climate will benefit both teams in the first MLB game played in Puerto Rico since 2010.
MLB betting line: The Indians opened as -187 favorites (wager $187 to win $100); the total is at 7.5 runs, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
MLB betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 3.7-2.8, Twins (MLB picks on every game)
Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news.
Why the Indians can pay on the MLB lines
Cleveland had won five games in a row prior to losing its series opener to Toronto 8-4 on Friday, and the extra rest can only help here. Star shortstop Francisco Lindor hails from Puerto Rico and should be extra motivated to pick up a victory in his home country after visiting with children from his elementary school in his community on Monday.
The Indians will also get the opportunity to use ace Corey Kluber (1-1, 1.57 ERA) with an extra day of rest in this spot, as he was scheduled to throw on Sunday. Kluber is coming off his best outing of his three starts, throwing eight scoreless innings and allowing just two hits with one walk and 13 strikeouts in a 2-0 win over the Detroit Tigers on April 9.
Why the Twins can pay on the MLB lines
Minnesota has enjoyed even more time off since its last game, beating the Chicago White Sox 4-0 on Thursday for the team's third straight win. The Twins will send Jake Odorizzi (1-0, 2.20) to the hill following his first victory of the season, giving up just one run and five hits to the defending World Series champion Houston Astros last Tuesday with five walks and four strikeouts.
While Odorizzi's control has been a bit of a concern in his last two starts (a combined eight walks compared to six strikeouts), he has not surrendered more than three runs in any of his three outings overall, which is positive.
Smart betting pick
Cleveland has won four of the past six meetings with Minnesota, according to the OddsShark MLB Database, and went 12-7 in the regular-season series a year ago. But from a betting perspective, the Indians won all 12 by two runs or more, which means a wager on the runline holds the most value considering the line on them is a bit high.
MLB betting trends
Cleveland is 5-1 in its last six games.
The total has gone under in seven of Cleveland's last nine games.
Minnesota is 5-2 in its last seven games.
All MLB odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.
Read 0 Comments
Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation