Boston Red Sox vs Minnesota Twins Picks and Predictions September 20th 2024

David Festa gets the start for the Twins on Friday, and he will be facing off against Richard Fitts for the Red Sox. Minnesota is favored on the money line (-115), and the over/under line is currently at 9 runs.

First pitch from Fenway Park is set for 7:10 PM ET, and BSN will be televising the game. The Twins are currently on a two-game losing streak, and they are 80-73, while the Red Sox are 76-77 overall.

Minnesota vs. Boston Key Information

Right-hander David Festa gets the start for the Twins today as he faces the Red Sox on the road. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 2-6 with an ERA of 5.07. Festa’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.27. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going 3 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs on three hits. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. Festa has allowed at least one homer in four straight outings. This year, opponents are batting .229 off Festa.

Over the past eight games, Willi Castro has been swinging the bat well for the Twins, going 8/24 with one home run and five RBIs. This has helped him move his season batting average up to .250. Castro is currently 3rd on the team with 57 RBIs. Carlos Santana and Ryan Jeffers are 1st and 2nd on the team in RBIs and home runs, but both are batting below .240 for the season.

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Carlos Santana has gone 7/28 in his last seven games, including one home run and four runs scored. Byron Buxton has struggled of late, going just 4/18 in his last five games. However, he did go deep in one of those games. Austin Martin is currently on a three-game hitting streak.

Richard Fitts will be making his third start of the season for the Red Sox, and he will be facing the Twins at home. Fitts has gone 5 innings in each of his first two starts, and he has yet to take a loss. In his last start, he struck out 2 and gave up 2 hits in 5 innings vs. the Yankees.

For the season, the Red Sox are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 10th in the league. They have been a good home run hitting team this season and have the league’s best team BABIP. Overall, they are batting .253, which is the 6th best mark in the league. Boston’s offense is led by Rafael Devers, who has a team-high 83 RBIs and is 2nd on the team with 28 homers. Devers is batting .273 for the season.

Over his last five games, Tyler O’Neill has gone just 1/17 at the plate, but he did homer in this stretch. O’Neill comes into the game with 31 homers, which is 10th in the league. For the season, he is batting .247. Jarren Duran is hitting .284 for the season and has gone deep 21 times.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over in this Twins vs. Red Sox matchup. This is projected to be the 6th highest-scoring game of the day, and this one has the highest home run projection. As for who is going to take this one straight up, we have our lean on the Twins to pick up the win. Looking at today’s starters, David Festa is 8th in our projections in strikeouts, while Richard Fitts is 18th.

Red Sox Look to Keep Fading Playoff Hopes Alive Against Twins

As the American League wild-card race intensifies, the Boston Red Sox will host the Minnesota Twins in a critical three-game series starting Friday night in Boston. Both teams find themselves clinging to fading postseason hopes, with Minnesota barely holding on to the final AL playoff spot, tied with the surging Detroit Tigers, while Boston is on the outside looking in.

The stakes couldn’t be higher for either team as they begin this pivotal weekend series. The Twins (80-73) and Red Sox (76-77) are both in need of wins to keep their playoff dreams alive, but recent form suggests that both clubs are facing an uphill battle.

Twins Struggling to Stay Afloat in AL Playoff Race

The Minnesota Twins have been in a tailspin, losing six of their last 10 games and 20 of their last 30. Their latest setback came in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in 10 innings against Cleveland on Thursday, a game in which they managed just three hits. That defeat capped off a four-game series in Cleveland where the Twins dropped three of four games, missing a major opportunity to solidify their playoff position.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli expressed the frustration that has been mounting in the clubhouse as the team has let critical games slip away.

“It can be hard. It can be excruciating at times,” Baldelli said. “(Winning just one is) not going to be satisfying, there’s no way around that.”

Despite their struggles, there is still hope in the Minnesota camp. The return of key players like Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, who both boast an OPS above .850, offers reason for optimism. Correa and Buxton’s presence in the lineup provides a spark for a Twins team desperate to turn things around.

But with just nine games remaining, Minnesota knows it can’t afford many more missteps. The Tigers, who are tied with them in the wild-card race, have been red-hot, going 21-9 over their last 30 games. The pressure is on for Minnesota to keep pace.

“If you’re looking at it from the outside, the odds probably aren’t in our favor just with how they’ve been going and how we’ve been going,” said outfielder Matt Wallner. “So, something’s got to change.”

Rookie David Festa Takes the Mound for Twins

Hoping to spark a turnaround, the Twins will turn to rookie right-hander David Festa (2-6, 5.07 ERA), who will make his 12th career start and first-ever appearance against the Red Sox. Festa, who hasn’t recorded a win since August 5, is coming off a no-decision against Cincinnati, where he allowed two runs on three hits over 3 2/3 innings in a 9-2 Twins victory.

Festa will look to contain a Boston offense that has been inconsistent but still poses a threat, particularly at Fenway Park. If Festa can find a rhythm early, it could help the Twins get off to a strong start in the series.

Red Sox Desperate for a Turnaround

For the Red Sox, time is running out to make a playoff push. Thursday’s 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay left Boston with a four-game gap to make up in the wild-card race, a daunting task with only nine games left on the schedule. To make matters worse, the Red Sox offense has gone cold at the worst possible time, as they were limited to just one hit and struck out 11 times against the Rays.

Boston manager Alex Cora didn’t mince words about his team’s recent struggles at the plate.

“It’s the same thing that’s been happening for a month-and-a-half. We’re not executing,” Cora said. “At one point, we were the best offense in baseball against righties, but now we’re not producing.”

Despite the offensive woes, the Red Sox have reason to be hopeful as they enter the series with Minnesota. A three-game sweep of the Twins would go a long way toward keeping their postseason dreams alive, and they will start rookie right-hander Richard Fitts, who has been a revelation in his short time with the team.

Richard Fitts Gets the Start for Boston

Fitts (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has been stellar since being called up to the big leagues, allowing just two unearned runs over 10 2/3 innings. The rookie pitched five scoreless innings in his last start, a two-hit performance against the Yankees in New York, and he will look to continue that momentum against a struggling Twins lineup.

For Fitts, the opportunity to pitch in such meaningful games is not lost on him.

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“It was a quick turnaround to find out when I was starting, but I welcomed the challenge,” Fitts said. “I’m just super blessed and super thankful to have the opportunity to wear a Red Sox uniform now and hopefully for a long time to come.”

With Fitts on the mound and Boston fighting to stay alive in the playoff race, this series opener could set the tone for what promises to be a high-stakes weekend at Fenway.

Critical Series with Playoff Implications

For both the Twins and the Red Sox, this series could determine whether they stay in the hunt for a wild-card spot or see their playoff hopes dashed. Minnesota needs to snap out of its recent slump and start picking up wins if they want to keep pace with Detroit, while Boston faces an even steeper climb to claw their way back into the postseason picture.

The stakes are clear: win, or risk falling out of the race. As both teams take the field at Fenway Park, every pitch and every at-bat will be magnified as these two clubs battle to keep their playoff dreams alive.