Chicago Cubs vs Minnesota Twins Prediction, 5/12/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Chicago Cubs vs Minnesota Twins

Date: Friday, May 12, 2023

Location: Target Field in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Odds/Point Spread: Chicago (+115) Minnesota (-135)

Target Field is where the Minnesota Twins (20-17) will attempt to defeat the Chicago Cubs (18-19) on Friday. The moneyline on this game has Chicago at +115 while Minnesota opens at -135. The total comes in at 8. The pitchers taking the mound will be Drew Smyly and Sonny Gray.

Chicago owns a slugging percentage of .430 and have been called out on strikes 316 times, while being walked on 135 occasions. They have amassed 176 runs batted in as well as 345 base knocks this year, and their batting average is .269. The Cubs have tallied 61 two-baggers as a squad and have smacked 45 baseballs out of the park. They are sitting with 183 runs while having a team OBP of .343. As a team, the Chicago Cubs are knocking in 5.0 runs per outing, which is 9th in the league.

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They have accumulated a K/BB ratio of 2.87 and their pitching staff has a team WHIP of 1.16. Cubs pitchers have given up 31 long balls and 135 total runs (2nd in baseball). Chicago has surrendered 274 hits (7.4 per 9 innings) in addition to 126 earned runs. The Cubs have an ERA of 3.42 this year (5th in baseball), and the staff has struck out 313 batters. Their pitching staff has walked 109 opposing hitters and their FIP sits at 3.74 as a unit on the year.

Cubs pitchers have entered the contest with runners on 23 times in addition to having 29 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have tallied 19 holds for the year (15th in the league). The Cubs bullpen have earned a save rate of 55.6% and stepped onto the hill in 28 save situations. They have 5 saves on the year and have missed out on 4 of 9 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 33 base runners so far this year and 21.2% of them ended up crossing the plate. The Cubs have sent 117 relievers to the hill for the year.

The Cubs have converted 71.6% of balls in play into outs out of 2,985 innings, ranking them 4th in pro baseball. The Chicago Cubs have earned a total of 995 putouts this year, as well as 358 assists and 15 errors. Their fielding rate is holding at .989 which has them sitting 9th in MLB, and they have twisted 36 double plays.

Smyly has taken the ball for 982 innings and is sitting with 956 strikeouts so far in his MLB career. His earned run average is 4.06 (443 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.256. He has conceded 932 base hits (8.5 hits per nine innings) and has 301 free passes. Smyly (56-48 career win-loss record) holds a FIP of 4.26 and he has gone up against 4,120 opposing hitters during his time in the majors.

The Twins hold a team SLG% of .386 and they are earning 4.24 runs per game (21st in MLB). They have hit 54 doubles, while taking a walk 126 times and scoring 157 runs. Minnesota has a total of 46 long balls over the course of the season as well as 150 RBIs. They have been called out on strikes on 353 occasions (4th in the league) and have recorded 271 base knocks. The Minnesota Twins are sitting with an OBP of .300 in addition to a batting average of .220 so far this season.

The Minnesota pitching staff have allowed 135 runs over the course of the season while holding an ERA of 3.30 (122 earned runs yielded). They have allowed 33 long balls and they concede 3.65 runs per 9 innings (2nd in the league). The Twins have a team WHIP of 1.135 and have a FIP of 3.50 as a unit so far this year. Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 9.70 (359 strikeouts vs 109 bases on balls). They are sitting at 2nd in baseball as a pitching staff in total hits relinquished with 269.

With 39 save situations, the Twins have amassed 22 holds and 7 blown saves. Minnesota has had bullpen pitchers step onto the hill in 17 save chances and they have earned 10 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have come in 42 times in high leverage situations and on 23 occasions with base runners. Minnesota relievers have an inherited score percentage of 31.8% out of 22 inherited runners. They are ranked 20th in MLB with a save rate of 58.8%, and they have dispatched 106 relievers to the hill on the campaign.

The Minnesota Twins have turned 26 double plays and have a fielding percentage of .983 (23rd in MLB). The Twins have 297 assists, 22 errors and have accounted for 1,000 putouts so far this season. In 3,000 innings on the field, the Twins have earned a defensive efficiency of 70.7% (9th in baseball).

Gray (94-77 career record) has earned a 3.50 ERA and has conceded 7.7 hits per 9 innings. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.75 and he has gone up against 5,936 hitters during his pro baseball career. He has surrendered 555 ER's while earning a WHIP of 1.209 and a FIP of 3.6. Thus far in his career, Gray has allowed 1,221 hits while he has accumulated 1,385 strikeouts in 1,427 frames.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Chicago (+115)

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