Twins vs Blue Jays Preview & Expert Picks Tonight: Playoff Revenge?

We've got a playoff rematch, with the Minnesota Twins taking on the Blue Jays in Toronto. It's the first meeting between the two American League teams since the 2023 AL Wild-Card Series.

The Twins will send out Joe Ryan (1-2, 3.54 ERA) to the mound while the Jays counter with Yusei Kikuchi (2-2, 2.72 ERA).

Check out my Twins vs Blue Jays preview and MLB expert picks for May 10th below:

[may_10th_mlb_promo:BET99-2374158]

Twins vs Blue Jays Computer Pick & Game Odds

Twins vs Jays Computer Pick: Twins ML, Over 7.5

I'll break down why below, but I'm siding with the computer here on the game pick. I think the Twins win this one in a low-scoring, tight contest, though. So, I'm not taking the over like the robot is.

Twins vs Jays Notable Players To Watch

SP Yusei Kikuchi: The Blue Jays starter has pitched a quality start in four of his last five starts, lowering his season ERA to 2.72. He's averaged 6.1 strikeouts per outing this year. The lefty's strikeout line for tonight's game is set at O/U 5.5.

SS Carlos Correa: The Twins infielder has been hot against Kikuchi in the past. He owns a .474 career batting average against the lefty in 19 career at-bats. Correa's odds to get a hit today are set at -230.

Twins vs Jays Preview & Expert Pick — Twins ML (-105)

I'm a big fan of Joe Ryan, for starters. I wrote about the Twins righty as a potential AL Cy Young dark horse earlier this season and I'm still on board. He hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a single start this year, posting a crazy 46:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio, too.

But, this Twins pick is as much about Minnesota's bats. Yusei Kikuchi is a tough left to face, but this Twins team thrives against tough lefties. They've been baseball's fourth-best team against left-handed pitchers this season, owning a team .287 batting average and .794 OPS against the southpaws.

With Toronto's offensive struggles lately, they've needed Kikuchi to be basically perfect to win any of his starts. In games where Kikuchi allows more than two runs, the Jays are 0-2. It's gonna be hard for Kikuchi to be perfect against this Minnesota lineup, tonight, so it'll be hard for Toronto to win.

[may_10th_mlb_promo:BET99-2374158]

Twins vs Jays Preview & Expert Pick No. 2 — Kikuchi Under 5.5 Ks (-110)

Kikuchi may average 6.1 strikeouts per game this season, but he's gone under 5.5 in two of his last three games. Tonight's opponent, Minnesota, presents a particularly hard challenge for Kikuchi, too.

I talked above about their overall success against lefties, but the Twins also rarely strike out against southpaws. The Twins are top-10 in team strikeout rate against lefties and have been very disciplined against Kikuchi, in particular. In 77 career at-bats against the Toronto lefty, current Minnesota hitters own an elite 20.4% strikeout rate.