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Minnesota comes into this one with José Berríos on the mound, while the Blue Jays are starting Zebby Matthews. Toronto is 5th in the AL East with a record of 66-71, while the Twins are 3rd in the AL Central at 73-61.
There doesn’t appear to be much chance of rain for Saturday’s matchup in Minneapolis, with the forecasted temperature being 80 degrees. The over/under line is currently at 8.5 runs, and the Twins are favored on the money line (-152). This one can be seen on SNET.
Toronto vs. Minnesota Key Information
- Teams: Blue Jays at Twins
- Where: Target Field Minneapolis
- Date: Saturday, August 31st
- Betting Odds MIN -152 | TOR +128 O/U 8.5
The Blue Jays Can Win If…
José Berríos has been pitching well for the Blue Jays, as he has won each of his last four starts. Most recently, he faced the Red Sox and picked up the win, going 7 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Looking at his overall numbers, Berríos has a record of 13-9 and an ERA of 3.72. Out of his 27 starts, he has turned in 17 quality starts and has a WHIP of 1.17. Berríos’ batting average allowed is .232, and he has a home ERA of 3.07 compared to 5.47 on the road.
For the season, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 4.2 runs per game, compared to 4.1 on the road. As a team, they are batting .239, which is 14th in the league, and are the 6th toughest team to strike out against. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of the league’s top hitters this season, batting .321 with 27 homers and 88 RBIs.
Guerrero Jr. has been even better of late, going 7/20 in his last five games. However, he has gone deep just yet during this stretch. George Springer has also homered in one of his last four games but is just 2/14 in this stretch. For the season, Springer is batting just .217.
- The Blue Jays are 6-4 in their last ten games.
- Over their last five games, the Blue Jays are 2-3 vs. the run line.
- Toronto has an over/under record of 4-6 in their last ten games.
- The Blue Jays have an average of 2.4 runs per game over their last five games.
- Across their last ten road games, the Blue Jays are 5-5
- Looking back across the Blue Jays last five games as the favorite, they are 5-0
- Toronto has gone 1-2 in their last three games as the underdog
- In their ten most recent road games, the Blue Jays have averaged 3.5 runs per game on offense
The Twins Can Win If…
Zebby Matthews is getting the start for the Twins at home against the Blue Jays. He has made 3 starts so far this season, picking up a win in his first start and then taking a loss in his second outing. In his last start, he went 5 innings, giving up 1 earned run on 4 hits and struck out 7.
Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins’ top power hitter this season, as his 20 home runs is the most on the team. He also comes into the game as the team’s leader in RBIs this season, with 59. Jeffers is batting just .236 this season, but his recent power surge has been a big boost to the Twins’ offense. Willi Castro and Carlos Santana are also near the top of the Twins’ home run and RBI leaderboards.
Over the past seven games, Matt Wallner has gone 9/25 with two homers and three RBIs. This has pushed his season average up to .254. Wallner is also on a four-game hitting streak. Trevor Larnach has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 6/20 with two homers and seven RBIs in his last six games.
- The Twins are 3-7 in their last ten games.
- Over their last five games, the Twins are 1-4 vs. the run line.
- Minnesota has an over/under record of 5-5 in their last ten games.
- The Twins have an average of 3.4 runs per game over their last five games.
- Across their last ten home games, the Twins are 5-5
- Looking back across the Twins last five games as the favorite, they are 2-3
- Minnesota has gone 0-3 in their last three games as the underdog
- In their ten most recent road games, the Twins have averaged 4.4 runs per game on offense
Jose Berrios Aims to Lead Blue Jays Over Twins in Key Matchup
Jose Berrios, a former Minnesota Twins pitcher, is set to take the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays as they face off against the Twins in the second game of their three-game series on Saturday evening in Minneapolis. Berrios, who has already notched three victories in five career starts against his former team, will look to add another win to his tally as Toronto seeks to bounce back from a series-opening loss.
Berrios’ Performance and History Against the Twins
Berrios (13-9, 3.72 ERA) has become a key starter for the Blue Jays, bouncing back after a rocky first full season with the team. The 30-year-old right-hander, who spent his first five-plus seasons with the Twins, has consistently delivered double-digit wins for the fourth consecutive year. His performance with Toronto mirrors his time in Minnesota, with a winning percentage of .562 compared to .561 during his stint with the Twins. In his five previous starts against Minnesota, Berrios has posted a 3-1 record with a 4.03 ERA.
The Twins will counter with rookie right-hander Zebby Matthews (1-1, 3.00 ERA). Matthews, making his fourth start since being promoted from Triple-A St. Paul, is coming off a solid performance against the St. Louis Cardinals, where he allowed just one run on four hits over five innings. Despite his strong showing, the Twins lost that game 3-2, but Matthews has shown promise in his limited big-league experience, striking out 13 batters in 15 innings.
This will be Matthews’ first appearance against the Blue Jays.
Twins Seek Back-to-Back Wins After Series Opener Victory
The Twins kicked off the series with a 2-0 victory on Friday night, snapping a four-game losing streak. Carlos Santana and Willi Castro provided the offense with RBIs in the fifth inning, while veteran right-hander Pablo Lopez silenced the Blue Jays’ bats for 7 2/3 scoreless innings. Lopez, determined to help the Twins turn things around, delivered a dominant performance that set the tone for the series.
“I was highly motivated,” Lopez said. “Every game has its challenges, every game has its reasons to find that competitive edge, that competitive fire. We knew that the last couple games … it wasn’t really our game, our baseball.”
The win was a much-needed boost for the Twins, who had lost eight of their previous 10 games and now trail the first-place Cleveland Guardians by 3 1/2 games in the American League Central.
“There are a lot of high hopes for this club, a lot of lofty goals,” Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “But if we want to achieve those goals, we’ve got to play better baseball.”
Blue Jays Look to Reignite Offense
The Blue Jays struggled to generate any offense in the series opener, failing to record an extra-base hit and grounding into multiple double plays. Toronto managed just seven singles throughout the game, leaving manager John Schneider calling for better production from his lineup.
“Any time you get a couple guys on, you’ve got to cash one in there,” Schneider said.
As the Blue Jays aim to bounce back and secure a series win, they’ll need to provide Berrios with the run support necessary to overcome a determined Twins team.
Match Outlook
Saturday’s game is crucial for both teams as they navigate the final stretch of the season. The Blue Jays are looking to stay competitive in the playoff race, while the Twins are fighting to close the gap in the AL Central. With Berrios on the mound against his former team and Matthews making his first start against Toronto, this matchup promises to be a key battle in the series and the season for both clubs.
The Lean
Our lean for a money line pick in this Blue Jays vs. Twins matchup is to take the Twins to come out on top. We also have this as the 7th highest-scoring game of the day and are leaning towards taking the over. Looking at today’s starters, we have José Berríos as the 6th worst strikeout pitcher compared to Zebby Matthews, who is 7th worst.
