Baseball betting stays focused on inter-league play on Thursday as the Twins of Minnesota swing away against the Pirates of Pittsburgh.

The match puts starter Liam Hendriks for the Twins on the hill facing James McDonald for the Pirates. Hendriks brings a 0-3 mark to the game, while McDonald is 5-3 to date on the season.



View Minnesota vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with the Pirates in this one will find them as -170 favorites on the MLB money line. Betting the over under instead? It was hovering near 8 at its open earlier today.

Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the National League No. 12-ranked Pirates and the American League No. 14-rated Twins in this matchup.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and Pittsburgh has the National League's No. 15-rated offensive output, at 7.5 hits per game. The Twins average 8.8 hits per game, good for No. 6 on the American League list.

Pittsburgh owns the National League's No. 3 defense, allowing 3.7 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Minnesota's American League No. 14-rated defense.

Last time out for Minnesota, they were a 2-1 Sportsbook as they battled the Pirates on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Twins at +118 were rewarded, while the 3 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Twins grabbed a win last time out, defeating Erik Bedard and the Pirates 2-1 on Wednesday at PNC Park.




Minnesota Twins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Cincinnati are 7-2
After playing Pittsburgh are 8-2
After a win are 5-5

Pittsburgh Pirates Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Detroit are 6-4
After playing Minnesota are 3-7
After a loss are 6-4

A few Twins at Pirates trends to consider:
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Minnesota is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Pittsburgh
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Minnesota's last 7 games when playing on the road against Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 18 of Pittsburgh's last 25 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games


Next up:
Minnesota at Cincinnati, Friday, June 22
Pittsburgh home to Detroit, Friday, June 22