1:10 pm
April 15

Red Sox @ Twins

Who will WIN this matchup?

Boston Red Sox (9-3)

@ Minnesota Twins (5-7)

 

Starting Pitchers:

Richards (BOS): 0-1; 10.29 ERA

Pineda (MIN) 1-0; 1.64 ERA

 

Current odds:

Boston Red Sox: (+130)

Minnesota Twins: (-155)

 

• The Boston Red Sox will try to extend their winning streak to 10 straight games when they attempt to complete a four-game series sweep of the two-time defending American League Central Division champion Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis.

• Right-hander Garrett Richards (0-1, 10.29 ERA), who is 2-1 with a 3.02 ERA in seven games and six career starts against the Twins, will start for Boston while right-hander Michael Pineda (1-0, 1.64) will start for Minnesota, which has lost five in a row. Pineda is 5-5 with a 4.00 ERA in 13 career starts against the Red Sox.

• Boston, which began the season with three consecutive losses to the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park, hasn’t lost since. The Red Sox swept a doubleheader on Wednesday at Target Field, holding on for a 3-2 victory in the opener and then taking advantage of some uncharacteristic wildness by Jose Berrios to score six runs in the fifth inning of a 7-1 victory in the nightcap.

• Alex Cora picked up his 200th win as a Red Sox manager in the first game while outfielder Alex Verdugo went 5-for-8 with a home run and three RBIs in the two games and also made a game-ending diving catch of a Luis Arraez sinking line drive to end the first game.

• Cora became the 19th manager in Red Sox history to win 200 games and did it in 335 games. Only Joe McCarthy (323 in 1950), Don Zimmer (326 in 1978), Bill Carrigan (327 in 1915) and Terry Francona (334 in 2006) accomplished the feat in fewer games, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

• Minnesota, meanwhile, has dropped five straight home games for the first time since Rocco Baldelli took over as manager in 2019. The Twins are just 1-for-24 with runners in scoring position in the series.

• One positive for the Twins on Wednesday was the return of third baseman Josh Donaldson from a hamstring injury he suffered on Opening Day at Milwaukee. Donaldson was activated from the injured list just before the second game and singled, walked and scored Minnesota’s lone run.

4/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Minnesota Twins
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