Twins vs Rays Prediction & MLB Odds For Monday, September 2nd

Minnesota heads into Monday’s matchup vs. the Rays looking to move up in the standings, as they are 3rd in the AL Central with a record of 74-62. The Rays are 4th in the AL East, and they will be looking to move above .500, as they are 67-69.

The money line odds have the Twins at -113 compared to the Rays at -106, and the over/under line is sitting at 8 runs. This AL matchup is set for 6:50 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the game will be televised on BSN. Zack Littell is starting for the Rays, while the Twins are sending Simeon Woods Richardson to the mound.

Betting Odds & Lines for this Game

• Spread: Twins -1.5 (+149) | Rays 1.5 (-179)
• Total: 8
• MoneyLine: Twins -113 | Rays -106

All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)

Twins vs. Rays Prediction: Moneyline

The Twins’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Blue Jays, closing out their series with a 4-3 win. After allowing one run to the Blue Jays in the top of the first, the Twins responded with three runs of their own. Minnesota went on to add another run in the 7th inning, and Griffin Jax closed things out in the 9th with the save.

Bailey Ober put together a good start for the Twins, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and striking out eight. Minnesota’s offense was carried by Royce Lewis, who went 3/3 with a homer and three RBIs.

Minnesota is 74-62 overall and is 3rd in the AL Central, 3.5 games behind the Guardians for the division lead. The Twins are 28-17 against other teams in the AL Central. The Twins will be on the road today, taking on the Rays, and they are 35-32 on the road this season.

As the favorite, the Twins have gone 58-36 this year and 26-13 as the favorite on the road. Minnesota’s overall series record is 25-16-3 this season, and they won their most recent series vs. the Blue Jays. Looking at their overall recent play, the Twins are 4-6 over their last 10 games.

The Rays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Padres with a 4-3 loss. This was especially tough, as they held a lead going into the 6th inning before the Padres scored three runs in the top of the 6th. Tampa Bay was the +104 underdog at home going into the game.

Ryan Pepiot had a rough outing, giving up three earned runs on four hits and issuing four walks. The Rays also wasted a big game from Manuel Margot, who went 3-4 with a double and a run scored. Margot is now hitting .286 on the season.

Tampa Bay is 67-69 overall and trails the Yankees by 11.5 games in the AL East. Currently, they are 4th in the division and are 17-23 in AL East matchups. The Rays are at home today, hosting the Twins, and they are 35-36 at home this year.

The Rays have dropped two straight games as the underdog, and they are 3-7 in their last 10 games overall. So far, they have gone 34-30 as the favorite and 33-39 as the underdog. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 21-18-5, but they have dropped three straight series.

Twins vs. Rays Prediction: Over/Under

The Minnesota Twins are on the road today against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the over/under line for the game is set at 8 runs. The Twins have played in games with an average of 9.2 runs per game this season, and their overall over/under record is 69-63. When the over/under line has been set at 8 runs, their record is 10-17-4. This season, 55 of their games have had over/under lines set higher than 8 runs, accounting for 40.4% of their games.

Carlos Santana, Ryan Jeffers, and Willi Castro have been the Twins’ top power threats so far this season, with Jeffers and Santana leading the team in home runs, and Castro is right behind them with 11 homers. Jeffers and Santana also come into the game as the team’s top two run producers, with 59 and 57 RBIs, respectively. Jeffers and Santana are both batting just .237 this season, while Castro is hitting .253.

Minnesota’s offense has been good at avoiding strikeouts this season, and they are also among the league leaders in slugging percentage and OPS. As a team, they are averaging 4.8 runs per game and have been even better at home, averaging 4.9 runs per contest. Over his last eight games, Matt Wallner is hitting .300 with two homers, and Trevor Larnach has also gone deep twice in his last seven games, while batting .300.

The Tampa Bay Rays have an over/under record of 61-68 this season, with an average combined run average of 8.2 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8 runs, their record is 14-18-1, and they have played 45 games with lines set higher than 8 runs, representing 33.1% of their games this season.

Yandy Diaz has been the Rays’ top hitter this season, batting .277, and he is also 4th on the team with 12 home runs. Christopher Morel and Jose Siri have also hit a lot of homers this season, but they are batting just .196 and .193, respectively. Morel’s 56 RBIs are 2nd on the team, while Siri is 4th with 43.

Over the team’s last 10 games, Josh Lowe has gone 11/36 with two homers, and Junior Caminero has also been swinging a hot bat, going 10/36 with three homers in that stretch. Both players have seven runs batted in over that stretch. As a team, the Rays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is the worst mark in the league.

Twins vs. Rays Prediction: Spread

When betting on the Minnesota Twins, it’s important to note that they have been a .500 team against the run line this season, with a 65-71 record. They have been slightly better on the road, going 36-31 against the run line, compared to 29-40 at home. Their average run margin for the season is +0.4 runs per game, and they have been slightly better on the road, with a +0.3 run differential compared to +0.5 at home.

Right-hander Simeon Woods Richardson gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 23 starts this season and has a record of 5-3 with a 3.85 ERA. Woods Richardson’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.18, and he has turned in seven quality starts. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Before that, he had won three straight starts. So far, he has been much better on the road, coming in with a record of 4-2 and 4.54 ERA compared to 1-1 with a 4.0 ERA at home.

The Rays are 68-68 against the run line this season, including a 31-40 mark at home. They are 37-28 vs. the run line on the road and have covered in two straight games at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay’s average run margin is -0.5 runs per game, and they are 24-40 vs. the run line as the favorite and 44-28 as the underdog.

Zack Littell is looking to build off his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. Against the Astros on August 14th, he went five innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. Looking back further, Littell has been solid, as he has won two of his last four starts and has given up one earned run or fewer in three of those outings. Littell’s ERA for the season is 3.89, along with a record of 5-8. Opponents are batting .275 off the right-hander this season. For the year, he has made eight quality starts and is averaging 8.05 strikeouts per nine innings.

Twins vs. Rays Pick: Twins ML -113

Our prediction for today’s Twins vs. Rays game is that the Twins will pick up a 5-4 road win. With the Twins being on the road, you can get them on the money line at -113, and that is our recommended bet.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Zack Littell finishing with five strikeouts compared to Simeon Woods Richardson with five as well. Littell is projected to go five innings, and Woods Richardson is projected to go just three.