Minnesota Twins vs Toronto Blue Jays Picks and Predictions August 30th 2024

Kevin Gausman is starting for the Blue Jays on Friday, and he is facing off against Pablo Lopez and the Twins. The Blue Jays are 66-70 this season, while the Twins have gone 72-61. Minnesota has lost four straight, and they are 3rd in the AL Central, while the Blue Jays are 5th in the AL East.

Friday’s forecast in Minneapolis calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. The Twins are favored at -156 on the money line, while the Blue Jays are the slight underdog at +132. The over/under line is sitting at 8 runs, and BSN will be televising this one.

Toronto vs. Minnesota Key Information

Kevin Gausman gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Twins on the road. So far this season, he has made 26 starts and has a record of 12-9 to go along with a 4.10 ERA. Gausman’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.22. In his 26 appearances, he has turned in 13 quality starts and is averaging 8.39 strikeouts per nine innings. Gausman’s most recent outing came against the Angels, where he picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run. Before that, he had given up at least two homers in three straight starts.

So far this season, the Blue Jays offense has been a bit below average, as they are 22nd in the league in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. For the most part, they have been a pretty good hitting team, as they are batting a collective .239, which is 15th in the league. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of the best hitters in the league this season, as he is batting .324 with 27 homers and 88 RBIs. He is also on a six-game hitting streak and has gone 9/19 in his last five games.

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George Springer is also near the top of the Blue Jays home run and RBI leaderboards, but he is hitting just .217 for the season and has gone 3/18 in his last five games. Addison Barger has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 6/17 in his last five games, including one home run and four RBIs.

Pablo López gets the start for the Twins today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he didn’t give up a run. In that start vs. the Cardinals, he went seven innings and picked up the win. Looking back over his last four outings, López has given up three or more earned runs in three of them. For the season, he has a record of 12-8 and an ERA of 4.26. Opponents are batting .238 off the right-hander this season. López has made 14 quality starts and is averaging 9.79 strikeouts per nine innings.

As a team, the Twins are 7th in the MLB in scoring at 4.9 runs per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 5 runs per contest. Overall, the Twins are batting .253, which is the 5th best mark in the league. They also have the 5th best slugging percentage in the league and are 6th in OPS.

Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins’ top power threat this season, with 20 homers, and he is also the team’s leading run producer, with 59 RBIs. Jeffers has gone deep three times in his last 10 games, while going 10/31 in that stretch. Carlos Santana and Willi Castro are also near the top of the Twins’ home run leaderboard, with 18 and 11 homers, respectively. Both players have been swinging the bat well of late, with Santana hitting .323 in his last 10 games and Castro batting .387.

For an over/under pick, our lean is on the over in this Blue Jays vs. Twins matchup. As for who is going to take this one straight-up, we have our lean on the Blue Jays to pick up the win. Toronto’s offense is our 9th ranked team in terms of runs scored, and Pablo López is our 11th ranked starting pitcher in terms of strikeouts.

Twins Aim to Halt Skid as Blue Jays Arrive

The Minnesota Twins are looking to bounce back from a tough stretch as they host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series beginning Friday night in Minneapolis. After being swept by the Atlanta Braves and losing eight of their last ten games, the Twins took a much-needed day off on Thursday to regroup and reset mentally.

Twins Seek a Fresh Start

Minnesota has found itself in a challenging position, now sitting 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians and 1 1/2 games behind the second-place Kansas City Royals in the American League Central. As they head into the weekend series, the Twins are eager to turn the page and find some consistency in their performance.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli is optimistic about his team’s ability to bounce back from adversity. “We’ve hit a bump and we’ve been pretty streaky — basically for the entire season,” Baldelli said. “(After bad stretches), we’ve come right back from it and played some pretty good baseball. It’s about time we figure that out and get it done. I really don’t want to watch these kinds of games anymore.”

Blue Jays Riding High

While the Twins are looking to get back on track, the Blue Jays come into the series with momentum on their side. Toronto secured a 2-0 road victory against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday night, earning a split in their four-game series. The win was highlighted by an impressive performance from starter Bowden Francis, who took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. This comes after he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning in his previous start against the Los Angeles Angels.

“He was just in total control,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said of Francis. “He’s got such a good way about him — mentally, physically, execution-wise. His pitch mix is awesome. Not much more to say other than that. He’s really (expletive) good right now.”

Pitching Matchup: Gausman vs. Lopez

Friday’s game will feature a pitching matchup between Toronto’s right-hander Kevin Gausman and Minnesota’s right-hander Pablo Lopez. Gausman, who has a 12-9 record with a 4.10 ERA, is coming off a dominant outing against the Los Angeles Angels, where he allowed just one run on two hits over seven innings, striking out ten without issuing a walk. Despite his recent success, Gausman has historically struggled against the Twins, holding a 1-4 record with a 6.94 ERA in 12 career starts against them. The Twins had their way with Gausman earlier this season, tagging him for seven runs (six earned) on ten hits in just three innings on May 11.

Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez has been on a roll lately, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.39 ERA over his last eight starts. In his most recent outing, Lopez delivered seven scoreless innings against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out nine. Lopez’s challenge on Friday will be to contain Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who leads Toronto with 27 home runs and 87 RBIs.

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Lopez has faced the Blue Jays twice in his career, with mixed results, going 1-0 with a 5.59 ERA in those outings.

Key Players and Injuries

Both teams are dealing with significant injuries to key players. For the Blue Jays, shortstop Bo Bichette remains out with a strained right calf, leaving a hole in Toronto’s lineup. The Twins are also missing several key contributors, including Byron Buxton, who has been sidelined with inflammation in his right hip. However, there is hope that Buxton could begin a minor league rehab assignment as soon as this weekend, which would be a significant boost for Minnesota.

As the Twins look to end their recent skid and the Blue Jays aim to build on their recent success, this series in Minneapolis promises to be a pivotal one for both teams. The outcome could have significant implications for the playoff races in both the American League Central and the Wild Card standings.