The Minnesota Twins make their first postseason appearance in seven years — and they see the same foes that dispatched them in the 2010 American League Division Series, as they head to Yankee Stadium to take on the Baby Bombers. Over the course of the regular season, the Yankees won four of the six meetings between the two teams — but the wild card comes down to one game. The winner will go on to face the Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series. Can the Yankees hold off the pesky Twins? Or will Minnesota post the upset and send New York home after just one playoff game? Check out our MLB betting preview for the AL Wild Card game, with the latest MLB Playoffs odds.
Gary Sanchez has provided a ton of power, especially for a catcher, hitting .286 at home with 15 home runs — and 18 more on the road. Didi Gregorius has hit 25 home runs this year, so there are plenty of weapons in that New York lineup. As far as pitching goes, Severino struck out 230 hitters this year, good for fourth in the American League. His 14 wins were a career best, and his WHIP and strikeout totals are also the finest in his career. If you like the Yankees, then you think that Severino will be able to manage an opportunistic Twins lineup, and you also think that it is the Twins that will wilt under the glare of the postseason. You should also consider that the Yankees’ closer, Aroldis Chapman, has been almost unhittable at key points of the season.
Minnesota at NY Yankees AL Wild Card MLB Betting Preview
When: Tuesday, October 3, 2017, 8:09pm ET Where: Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, NY TV: ESPN Radio: Go 96.3 (Minnesota) / WFAN 660 (NY Live Stream: WatchESPN MLB Odds: Yankees -225 (7.5) Pitching Matchup: Ervin Santana (16-8) (MIN) vs Luis Severino (14-6) (NY)AL wild-card questions: Can Twins stand up to Yankees’ star power? https://t.co/9vZYmNhcrP #Yankees pic.twitter.com/R1IZeVk46p
— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) October 2, 2017
Latest AL Wild Card Betting Trends
- Twins are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games
- Twins are 7-3 SU in the last 10 games
- The total went UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games
- NY Yankees are 11-5 ATS in the last 16 games at home
- NY Yankees are 16-6 SU in the last 22 games
- The total went UNDER in 5 of NY Yankees’s last 6 games
Why should you bet on the Twins?
The Twins have Ervin Santana to thank for their trip beyond Game 162 this year. Santana posted a 3.28 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP for the season. In his last start out, he held the Cleveland Indians scoreless for five innings. He has had mixed results against the Yankees, going 6-10 lifetime and taking a loss back on September 18, when he permitted two runs over five innings. However, the Twins have been able to lineup their rotation to play their ace in the wild card game without putting him in on short rest, which gives the Twins a definite edge. Twins second baseman Brian Dozier has feasted on Yankee pitching this year, posting a .316 average in the teams’ six head-to-head matchups. That’s 48 points higher than his .268 road batting average. He has also slugged 16 long balls away from Target Field. Then there is Miguel Sano, who has hit a pair of home runs against the Pinstripes already this season, posting a .333 average against them in those six games. If you like the Twins, then you see the youthful Yankees lineup coming to the plate a little tight and taking too many strikeouts against Santana, and that the pressure of the night also got to the Yankees’ 23-year-old starting pitcher.Why should you put your money on the Yankees?
Aaron Judge has pounded 53 home runs on this season, with 33 of them coming at home. He also had 33 home runs at the All-Star break, going into a huge funk after the Midsummer Classic in which he spent some time on the bench, because of a massive strikeout problem. He seems to have corrected that, though, and that .312 batting average at Yankee Stadium will definitely be a number of which Santana is aware.
Gary Sanchez has provided a ton of power, especially for a catcher, hitting .286 at home with 15 home runs — and 18 more on the road. Didi Gregorius has hit 25 home runs this year, so there are plenty of weapons in that New York lineup. As far as pitching goes, Severino struck out 230 hitters this year, good for fourth in the American League. His 14 wins were a career best, and his WHIP and strikeout totals are also the finest in his career. If you like the Yankees, then you think that Severino will be able to manage an opportunistic Twins lineup, and you also think that it is the Twins that will wilt under the glare of the postseason. You should also consider that the Yankees’ closer, Aroldis Chapman, has been almost unhittable at key points of the season.
