The Minnesota Twins (33-31) travel to face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates (31-33) on Sunday, June 9th. This game will be played at PNC Park in Pittsburgh and televised on SN PT. The Pirates are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Twins are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pirates. First pitch is set for 12:35 CT.
Twins vs Pirates
Pittsburgh cruised to a 4-0 win over the Twins in the most recent game of this series. The Pirates had a huge 8th inning, scoring three of their four runs. As for the Twins, they had their best chance to score in the 7th, but could only push across one run.
Rowdy Tellez was the difference for the Pirates, as he homered, scored twice, and finished with three RBIs. Andrew McCutchen also had a three-hit game and scored a run for Pittsburgh.
Carmen Mlodzinski only went 1 2/3 innings for the Pirates but didn’t give up a run. He finished with just one strikeout and allowed one hit. Hunter Stratton got the win out of the bullpen.
Minnesota is on the road today, looking to snap a five-game losing streak, which has them at 33-31 overall. The Twins are 8.5 games behind the Guardians in the AL Central and are 3rd in the division. So far, they have gone 15-11 against other teams in the AL Central.
This season, the Twins have been good as the favorite, going 25-15, and they are 8-16 as the underdog. Minnesota has dropped five straight on the road and are 17-18 overall as the road team. The Twins have an overall series record of 11-7-2.
Minnesota has been a tough team to bet on this season, as they are just 28-36 against the run line. They have been a bit better on the road, going 17-18, but they have failed to cover the run line in their last five road games. They have been favored in 40 games this season, going 17-23 against the run line, while they have been the underdog in 24 games, going 11-13. Their average run differential on the season is -0.2 runs per game.
Minnesota is on the road today, taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates. The over/under line for today’s game is set at 8 runs. The Twins have a combined run average of 8.7 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 27-35. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 4-10-2. So far this season, 37.5% of their games have had over/under lines set at 8 runs.
Bailey Ober Gets The Start For The Twins
Through 12 starts, Bailey Ober has a record of 5-4 and an ERA of 4.93. He has made four quality starts this year and is coming off a rough outing against the Yankees, where he took the loss. In that start, Ober gave up three earned runs on four hits in five innings of work. Looking back further, he has given up at least two home runs in three of his last four outings. Opponents are batting .232 off the right-hander this year. At home, his ERA is 4.26 compared to 11.3 on the road.
Twins Offense Breakdown
Carlos Santana has struggled for most of the season, batting just .217, but he has been swinging the bat better of late, going 6/23 in his last seven games with two homers. Ryan Jeffers is batting just .233 for the season, but his 12 home runs are the most on the team and 10th in the league. However, Jeffers has also struggled of late, going just 3/23 in his last eight games.
As a team, the Twins are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 18th in the league. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.6 runs per game. So far, they have been a below-average hitting team, with a team batting average of just .229.
Pittsburgh is 31-33 overall and trail the Brewers by seven games in the NL Central. The Pirates have taken the first two games of this series vs. the Twins, and they are 7-7 in divisional games this year. So far, they are 16-16 at home and have gone 15-17 on the road.
As the underdog, the Pirates have put together a record of 22-19 this season, and they have won two straight as the underdog overall. Pittsburgh is 9-14 when favored this year. The Pirates have an overall series record of 7-9-4 this year and are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
The Pirates have been a solid bet on the run line this season, going 37-27 overall. They have been especially good on the road, where they are 20-12 against the run line. They have covered in two straight games and are 29-12 against the run line as an underdog this season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are playing at home today against the Minnesota Twins, with the over/under line set at 8 runs. The combined run average for Pirates games this season is 8.5 runs, and their over/under record is 33-30. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 9-9. This season, 42.2% of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, and their current under streak is at 2 games.
Jared Jones Gets The Start For The Pirates
Jared Jones gets the start for the Pirates today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. In that June 4th start vs. the Dodgers, he went six innings and picked up the win. Looking at his overall numbers, Jones has made 12 starts, and his ERA is 3.25. Opponents are batting .213 this season vs. Jones. The right-hander has turned in eight quality starts this year. For the season, he is 4-5. Per nine innings, Jones is averaging 9.87 strikeouts and just 1.95 walks.
Pirates Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Pirates are averaging 4.1 runs per game, which is 19th in the league. They have been slightly better on the road (4.2 RPG) than at home (4.0 RPG). As a team, the Pirates are batting just .231, which is 15th in the league, and their on-base percentage of .301 is 18th. Pittsburgh’s team OPS of .660 is 25th in the league.
Bryan Reynolds has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 11/35 in his last eight games, including a homer and five RBIs. He is currently on a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .263 for the season. Reynolds and Andrew McCutchen are tied for 2nd on the team with eight homers, while Reynolds’ 34 RBIs are the best mark on the team.
Twins vs Pirates Prediction
We see the Twins coming away with a 5-4 road win over the Pirates. Given that the Twins are on the money line at -110, this is the best way to play this one. Offensively, we have the Twins finishing with nine hits, compared to the Pirates, who we have picking up eight hits.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Jared Jones is projected to finish with five strikeouts compared to Bailey Ober, who we have with six. However, Jones’ chances of picking up a win are better than Ober’s, as he is the seventh best among starters.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:June 9, 2024 Pirates, Twins