Minnesota Twins vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Pick & Prediction 9/4/24
At 6:50 PM ET, the Twins and Rays will face off in an AL matchup. This one is being played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the Rays are the slight favorite on the money line (-105). The money line odds for a Twins win are sitting at -115.
The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and BSSUN will be televising this one. Ronny Henriquez is starting for the Twins, and the Rays are starting Cole Sulser. In the AL Central, the Twins are 2nd with a record of 75-63, while the Rays are 4th in the AL East at 68-70.
MINNESOTA TWINS VS TAMPA BAY RAYS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Minnesota Twins Moneyline -115
This game will be played at Tropicana Field at 6:50 ET on Wednesday, September 4th.
HOW TO BET THE TWINS VS RAYS:
- We have the Twins winning by a score of 5 to 4
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Rays to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Tampa Bay picked up a 2-1 win over the Twins in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had a chance to win by more, but they scored their only two runs in the 4th inning and the Twins could only muster one run in the 6th inning. Heading into the game, the Rays were favored at -112 on the money line.
Jeffrey Springs started for the Rays and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued two walks. As for the Twins, David Festa got the start and took the loss, giving up two earned runs in five innings of work.
Carlos Santana was the only player in the game to homer, as he went 2/3 with a two-run shot. Santana’s homer came in the 4th inning and accounted for the Twins’ only run. For the Rays, their two runs came on six hits.
Twins Records & Stats
Minnesota is 75-63 overall this season, and they are 4.5 games behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. The Twins are 2nd in the AL Central and have gone 28-17 against other teams in the division. This year, they are 39-30 at home compared to 36-33 on the road.
The Twins have dropped six of their last ten games and are 4-6 so far in September. As the favorite, the Twins have gone 59-36 this year and 27-13 as the road favorite. Minnesota’s overall series record is 25-16-3, and they are tied in their current series vs. the Rays.
Minnesota has been a solid bet against the run line this season, as they have a 66-72 record. They have been even better on the road, going 37-32 against the run line. Their average run margin for the season is +0.4, but it jumps to +0.5 at home. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 23-20 against the run line.
Minnesota is on the road against the Tampa Bay Rays today, and the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. The Twins have an over/under record of 70-64 on the season, and their games have averaged 9.2 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, Minnesota has a record of 21-21. So far this season, only 9.4% of their games have had an over/under line set at 8.5 runs.
Right-hander Ronny Henriquez gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made nine appearances this season and has a record of 1-0 with an ERA of 2.46. So far, opponents are batting .227 off Henriquez, and his WHIP for the season is 1.18. Henriquez has made five appearances on the road, and his ERA in those outings is 5.4. At home, his ERA is 0.0. Henriquez most recently pitched on September 2nd out of the bullpen, where he went one inning and didn’t give up a run. He finished with a no-decision in that outing.
So far this season, the Twins are 7th in the league in scoring at 4.8 runs per game. This has been pretty consistent for them, as they are averaging 4.7 runs per game on the road and 4.9 runs per game at home. As a team, the Twins are batting .251, which is 9th in the league, and they are also near the top of the league in on-base percentage, slugging, and OPS.
Carlos Santana, Ryan Jeffers, and Willi Castro are the Twins’ top home run hitters this season, with 19, 20, and 11 homers, respectively. Jeffers and Santana have been the team’s top run producers, with Jeffers leading the way with 59 RBIs and Santana right behind him at 58. Over his last five games, Royce Lewis is hitting .316 with four RBIs, and he is also on a five-game hitting streak.
Rays Records & Stats
Tampa Bay is 68-70 overall and 4th in the AL East, trailing the Orioles by 12 games for the division lead. The Rays are 17-23 against other teams in the AL East. They have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games and are 1 game below .500 heading into today’s game vs. the Twins.
At home, the Rays are 36-37 this year and have gone 32-33 on the road. As the underdog, Tampa Bay is 33-40 this year, and they are 35-30 when favored. The Rays have dropped three straight games as the underdog, and their overall series record is 21-18-5.
When it comes to the run line, the Rays have been a solid bet on the road this season, going 37-28. Their overall run line record is at .500, but they’ve been a much better bet as the underdog, going 45-28. Their average run differential in wins is +2.7, while it’s -3.5 in losses.
Today’s over/under line of 8.5 runs is slightly higher than the average line for Tampa Bay this season, which has been set at 8 runs. The Rays have played 93 games with lower lines and 12 games with higher lines than today’s total. Their games have averaged 8.2 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 62-69 overall and 17-16 when the line has been set at 8.5 runs.
Cole Sulser has made six appearances this season and has yet to make a start. His most recent outing came on September 1st against the Padres, where he went 2 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. In that outing, he didn’t give up a run, coming away with a no-decision. Sulser has finished with a no-decision in all four of his outings this year. The right-hander has a WHIP of 1.56 and opponents are batting .250 this season. Sulser’s ERA is 5.40. Per nine innings, he has 10.8 strikeouts and 6.48 walks.
Heading into today’s game, the Rays are 28th in the MLB in runs scored, averaging just 3.9 runs per game. This is also the worst mark in the American League. Not only are they near the bottom of the league in runs scored, but the Rays are also near the bottom of the league in home runs, batting average, and slugging percentage. As a team, they are batting just .230.
Yandy Diaz has been the Rays’ best hitter this season, leading the team with 59 RBIs and batting .274. He has also gone deep 12 times. Over his last seven games, Diaz is hitting .308 with two homers. Junior Caminero is also swinging a hot bat right now, as he has gone 11/39 over his last 10 games with two homers and seven RBIs. Caminero also has a four-game hitting streak.