Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, 5/5/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Minnesota Twins vs Cleveland Guardians

Date: Friday, May 5, 2023

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH

TV: Bally Sports Great Lakes

Odds/Point Spread: Minnesota (-105) Cleveland (-115)

Progressive Field is the site where the Cleveland Guardians (14-17) will go up against the Minnesota Twins (17-14) on Friday. The moneyline on this game has the Twins at -105 while the Guardians are priced at -115. The betting total is set at 8.5. The starting pitchers are Bailey Ober and Peyton Battenfield.

As a squad, the Minnesota Twins are recording 4.5 runs/g, which puts them at 13th in MLB. They have a total of 140 runs scored while having a team on-base percentage of .309. The Twins have accounted for 47 two-baggers as a team and have knocked 40 balls out of the stadium. They have 134 RBI's as well as 239 base knocks for the year, while their team batting average comes in at .232. Minnesota is slugging .407 and have been called out on strikes 298 times, while taking a walk on 100 occasions.

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The Twins have a team earned run average of 3.52 this year (5th in the league), and their staff has rung up 301 batters. Twins pitchers have given up 29 home runs and also 117 total runs (6th in baseball). Their pitching staff has walked 84 opposing batters and their FIP sits at 3.53 as a unit so far this year. Minnesota has yielded 233 hits (7.6 per 9 innings) in addition to 108 earned runs. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 3.58 and their pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.15.

Twins pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 18 times and also have had 32 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have tallied 20 holds on the campaign (9th in MLB). The Twins bullpen have a save percentage of 60.0% and has come into the game in 35 save situations. They have tallied 9 saves so far this season and have blown 6 of their 15 chances to save the game. The relief pitchers have inherited 21 runners for the season and 33.3% of those runners ended up crossing the plate. The Twins have dispatched 88 relievers to the mound on the season.

The Minnesota Twins are sitting with 829 putouts over the course of the season, as well as 249 assists and 16 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .985 which is 19th in professional baseball, and have accumulated 21 double plays. The Twins have transformed 69.9% of balls hit into play into outs out of their 2,487 innings, which has them ranked 13th in professional baseball.

Ober has taken the hill for 159 innings and has accumulated 157 strikeouts in his career. His ERA is 3.66 (65 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.140. He has surrendered 147 base hits (8.3 hits per 9 innings) and has 35 free passes. Ober (6-6 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 3.86 and he has faced 650 opposing batters during his time in the major leagues.

The Guardians hold a slugging percentage of .338 and they are scoring 3.74 runs per game (25th in MLB). They have 55 doubles, while taking a walk 114 times as well as scoring 116 runs. Cleveland is sitting with 17 home runs on the campaign as well as 106 runs batted in. They have been called out on strikes on 237 instances (27th in MLB) and have 239 base knocks. The Cleveland Guardians have compiled a team OBP of .307 as well as a batting average of .228 for the year.

The Guardians have a team WHIP of 1.279 in addition to having a FIP of 4.17 as a team this season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 7.30 (228 strikeouts against 86 walks). They are currently ranked 21st in MLB as a staff in total hits relinquished with 272. They have conceded 31 long balls and they relinquish 4.34 runs per 9 innings (11th in the league). The Cleveland pitching staff have yielded 135 runs on the campaign while holding an ERA of 3.95 (123 earned runs conceded).

Cleveland relievers have an inherited score rate of 27.3% of 33 inherited runners. Their bullpen pitchers have taken the field 46 times in high leverage situations and on 29 occasions with runners on. With 33 save situations, the Guardians have tallied 14 holds in addition to 7 blown saves. They are ranked 14th in the league holding a save rate of 63.2%, and they have sent 98 bullpen pitchers to the mound on the season. Cleveland has had relievers take the mound in 19 save opportunities and they have walked away with 12 saves.

In their 2,520 innings on the diamond, the Guardians have accumulated a defensive efficiency of 69.9% (14th in baseball). The Cleveland Guardians have turned 23 double plays and have notched a fielding percentage of .988 (10th in baseball). The Guardians have racked up 298 assists, 14 errors and have a total of 840 putouts so far this year.

So far in his MLB career, Battenfield has surrendered 16 hits while accumulating 14 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. He has conceded a total of 9 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.558 and having a FIP of 5.9. His K/BB ratio is 1.27 and he has gone up against 76 hitters so far in his pro baseball career. Battenfield (0-2 career mark) holds a 4.67 earned run average and has given up 8.3 hits per nine innings.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Minnesota (-105)

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