Tampa Bay will try to be nasty hosts on Sunday when the Minnesota Twins pay a visit to Tropicana Field.

Jeff Niemann will take the mound for Tampa Bay, and he'll carry a 0-2 record into the contest. Francisco Liriano gets the ball for Minnesota; he's 0-2 so far this season.



View Minnesota vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Twins were listed as +-175 underdogs on the baseball moneyline at many online sportsbooks. The total was set at 9 before betting started earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 9 (Rays) and the No. 12 (Twins) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits Tampa Bay's No. 6-rated American League offense, averaging 4.7 runs per game, against a Twins defense that ranks No. 13 in the American League at 5.3 in runs allowed per game. The Rays have averaged 8.2 hits per game so far, less than Twins batters have averaged on the year (9 hits per game).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and Tampa Bay has the American League's No. 10-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Twins own the American League's No. 13 mark in runs allowed.

In their last action, Minnesota was a 4-1 loser on the road against the Rays. Bettors on Tampa Bay at -195 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well. Minnesota didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 4-1 to Tampa Bay on Saturday at Tropicana Field.




Minnesota Twins Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 5-5
Before playing Boston are 2-8
After playing Tampa Bay are 4-6
After a loss are 5-5

Tampa Bay Rays Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 6-4
Before playing LA Angels are 5-5
After playing Minnesota are 7-3
After a win are 5-5

A few Twins at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games


Next up:
Minnesota home to Boston, Monday, April 23
Tampa Bay home to LA Angels, Tuesday, April 24