The visiting Twins hope for a solid performance on Thursday as they look to steal a win at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Carl Pavano gets the ball in front of a hostile crowd for the Twins on this day; he's 1-1 on the season. The Rays, meanwhile, will counter with James Shields, who will be looking to improve on his 0-1 mark.



View Minnesota vs Tampa Bay Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Rays as -125 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.5.



How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Tampa Bay's American League No. 13-ranked scoring average of 3.5 runs per game, against a Twins offense rated No. 14 and scoring 3 runs per game in the league. The Rays have averaged 6.7 hits per game to date this season, less than the Twins hitters have managed (8 per nine innings).

Comparing defensive stats, Minnesota owns the American League's No. 10-rated road mark, allowing 5.7 runs per game on the highway. Tampa Bay, on the other hand, rates No. 14 in scoring at home.

The Twins were a 10-5 loser in their most recent outing at home against the Royals. That made winners of bettors who got Kansas City at +163 on the moneyline, while the total score (15) was good news for OVER bettors. Minnesota suffered a 10-5 loss against Kansas City on Wednesday, as Francisco Liriano wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Target Field.


Minnesota Twins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Tampa Bay are 4-6
After playing Kansas City are 6-4
After a loss are 5-5

A few Twins at Rays trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Minnesota's last 8 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Tampa Bay's last 12 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota
Tampa Bay is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay's last 6 games when playing Minnesota


Next up:
Minnesota at Tampa Bay, Friday, April 15