Losing is something that the Minnesota Twins have been quite accustomed to this season. Right now, they’ve only won 24 games and currently lie at the bottom of the majors. On the bright side, there’s still enough time for them to turn things around. A win in tonight’s series opener against the Chicago White Sox would be a good start in doing so. Read on below for a closer look at this AL Central matchup.
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Taking the mound for the Minnesota Twins is Kyle Gibson (0-5, 6.05 ERA), who’s still in search for his first victory this season. He’s coming off a relatively rocky performance against the Phillies on Wednesday, during which he receive the no-decision after logging six innings of five-run ball. Despite this, the Twins can expect a bounce-back performance from Gibson later this evening.
Gibson pitched solidly in his lone career start against the Chicago White Sox back in early April. Unfortunately, Minnesota lost that game, 4-1, but the 28-year-old right-hander limited their division rivals to just three runs. The Twins are definitely hoping that he replicates that effort.
Of course, the Twins better provide Gibson some much-needed support at the plate, too. That said, look to either Eduardo Nunez or Brian Dozier to lead the charge in doing so. The two have been playing quite well this season.
Nunez, the team’s most consistent batter (.312), boasts a career triple-slash line of .356/.411/.655 versus the White Sox. Dozier, on the other hand, walks into U.S. Cellular Field looking to extend his nine-game hitting streak to 10 games.
Minnesota is 3-7 SU in its past 10 road games. The Twins are also priced at +30,000 to win the AL Central division.
Betting on the Chicago White Sox (38-38)
As for the Chicago White Sox, they’ll be hoping to build on Sunday night’s thrilling 5-2 victory over the Blue Jays. And their chances of doing so will greatly depend on how well Jose Quintana (5-7, 3.04 ERA) performs for them later this evening.
Quintana’s received a no-decision in his past two starts. The latest one was against the Red Sox last week. The 27-year-old lefty was rocked for eight hits and six earned runs across 5 1/3 innings of work in that game. But he should be in line for a rebound performance versus the Minnesota Twins especially with a home crowd cheering him on from the get-go. The Colombian is 3-3 with a quality ERA of 2.55 and 0.87 WHIP through six starts at U.S. Cellular Field this season.
Over on offense, expect Melky Cabrera to deliver some timely runs at the plate. He’s gone 11-of-23 with six runs batted in, two doubles, two homers and one triple in the last five games. The 12-year veteran, however, is 1-of-17 lifetime versus Minnesota starter, Kyle Gibson.
Chicago is 6-4 SU in its previous 10 games at home. The White Sox are solidly pegged at +1,500to win the American League pennant.
