Baseball betting stays focused on inter-league play on Thursday as the Twins of Minnesota swing away against the Giants of San Francisco.

Brian Duensing, with a record of 4-6 on the season, gets the ball for the Twins, while the Giants trot Tim Lincecum to the mound in this one. He is 5-6 so far in 2011.



View Minnesota vs San Francisco Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
The Giants were listed as -190 moneyline favorites at most sportsbooks tracked by Odds Shark, while oddsmakers set the Sportsbook total around 6.5 earlier on Monday.

Power Rankings:
The MLB Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Giants rated this week at No. 5 and the Twins sitting at No. 14.



How They Match Up:
Rating these teams in several key categories is important for handicappers and San Francisco has the National League's No. 15-rated offensive output, at 8.1 hits per game. The Twins average 8.4 hits per game, good for No. 11 on the American League list.

Comparing defensive stats, Minnesota owns the American League's No. 9-rated road mark, allowing 4.3 runs per game on the highway. San Francisco, on the other hand, rates No. 15 in scoring at home.

Last time out for Minnesota, they were a 5-1 loser as they battled the Giants on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Giants at -135 were rewarded, while the 6 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. The Twins endured a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Giants on Wednesday, with Nick Blackburn throwing 6 innings of 4-hit ball at AT&T Park.




Minnesota Twins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Milwaukee are 5-5
After playing San Francisco are 3-4
After a loss are 5-5

San Francisco Giants Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Cleveland are 3-3
After playing Minnesota are 6-1
After a win are 5-5

A few Twins at Giants trends to consider:
Minnesota is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
Minnesota is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of San Francisco's last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of San Francisco's last 18 games
San Francisco is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games at home
San Francisco is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games


Next up:
Minnesota at Milwaukee, Friday, June 24
San Francisco home to Cleveland, Friday, June 24