Twins vs. Orioles prediction and odds for Sunday, July 2

Yesterday, the Minnesota Twins got an absolutely stellar performance from Bailey Ober on the mound to beat the Baltimore Orioles 1-0 and move to 42-42 and into first place in the AL Central.

The Orioles are 48-33 in second in the AL East and in danger of getting swept in this weekend series. The Twins will hope to get a similar outing from Sonny Gray who will make his 17th start of the season in this one. 

Gray is 4-2 with a 2.67 ERA this year and will be opposed by Cole Irvin. The Orioles also had a great performance from Kyle Bradish yesterday in that loss and don’t just hope for, but likely need something similar from 1-3 Irvin with his 7.18 ERA. The Orioles are slight underdogs at home in this one. 

Twins vs. Orioles odds, run line and total

Twins vs. Orioles prediction and pick

This is a really tough spot for Baltimore. Their backs are against the wall in this series and now they’re facing Sonny Gray. However, the situation may not be as dire as it seems. First, Irvin has a terribly high ERA, but his FIP is 4.95 which is a lot better and more importantly, the Twins are terrible against lefties. Minnesota is 29th in OPS against left-handed pitchers at .659. Today, even Royce Lewis, one of their few good hitters against lefties, is out on the IL, so their lineup could look even worse. 

Irvin won’t go deep into this one, he hasn’t thrown more than 5.1 innings in any start this season. So, Baltimore’s bullpen which is top 10 in ERA this season, will be called into action. That is one thing about the Orioles that can be trusted, the other is typically their lineup. The O’s are 24th in runs scored in the past week and have a team OPS of .587 which is 28th. 

For some reason Baltimore cannot hit right now and they’ve lost four straight games because of it. This is a bad matchup for them against Gray, but it’s also a good matchup for their left-handed starter.

I like the Orioles as an underdog because they are a much better to than Minnesota, but I’ll take the under with Baltimore's offensive woes. Even Anthony Santader, who was carrying their offense before this losing streak is now down to a .500 OPS in the past week. I have a hard time betting on that team. 

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change