The New York Yankees have a long history of taking care of business against the Minnesota Twins in the playoffs, and backers of the Bronx Bombers will hope their club can do it again when the teams collide in the American League wild-card game at Yankee Stadium tonight.
Sportsbook opened the Twins as +230 underdogs with a total of 8.
The Yanks dispatched the Twinkies in the AL Division Series in 2003, ’04, ’09 and ’10 while winning 12 of 14 contests in that span. Overall, the Twins are winless in their last 12 postseason tilts.
Ervin Santana and Luis Severino are expected to get the nod on the bump in this one. Santana (16-8, 3.28 ERA) tied Cleveland’s Corey Kluber (the AL Cy Young favorite) for most shutouts (three) and complete games (five) in the AL while posting the second-lowest ERA of his career. The hurler allowed two runs and seven hits in 5.2 innings of work in a losing effort to the Yankees in his last trip to the Bronx.
Severino (14-6, 2.98) had a season to remember in 2017 and ended things on a high note by going 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five September starts. The 23-year-old lasted only three innings while surrendering three runs in his only meeting with the Twins on September 20, but he is 8-5 with a 3.71 ERA at home on the season.
While the Yankees’ prior dominance over the Twins is well known, the squads also have a penchant for playing in low-scoring games. In the last eight meetings between New York and Minnesota, the UNDER is 7-1.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
Those going with the New York Yankees in this one found them listed on the oddsboard as moneyline favorites of -245 at Sportsbook for Tuesday's contest. The betting total was hovering near 7.5 at Sportsbook.
OddsShark computer score prediction models pick a possible 5.5-1.5 win for the Yankees on Tuesday. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming MLB matchups here.
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
91-71 New York battles the Twins, currently with a 85-77 mark. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and New York vs Minnesota injuries news.
The MLB Power Rankings show the New York Yankees rated this week at No. 4 and the Minnesota Twins sitting at No. 5.
Statistical Matchup
On offense, it's a battle between the New York Yankees and their No. 2-rated batting order, averaging 5.3 runs per nine innings, against the No. 7 lineup of the Minnesota Twins at 5.03 runs per outing.
Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping betting factors and New York has the No. 4-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Twins own the No. 19 mark in runs allowed.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Twins enjoyed a 5-1 victory at the expense of the Tigers on Sunday, with Bartolo Colon throwing 6.1 innings of 3-hit ball at Target Field.
New York looks to rebound from a loss to the Blue Jays, who beat them 2-1 on Sunday behind a start from Brett Anderson at Yankee Stadium.