Nelson Cruz leads the Minnesota Twins (3-1) into a contest with the Detroit Tigers (2-2) a game after he homered twice in a 15-6 win over the Tigers. The Twins are favored () against the Tigers () in this outing, which starts at 1:10 PM ET on Tuesday. J.A. Happ takes the mound first for Minnesota, and Casey Mize is Detroit’s choice to start.
The betting insights and predictions in this article reflect betting data from DraftKings as of April 5, 2021, 9:00 PM ET. See table below for current betting odds and CLICK HERE to bet at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Twins vs Tigers Betting Odds
Pitching Matchup
The probable pitchers for both teams have not made a start this season. Here are their stats from last season:
| Happ (MIN) | Pitcher | Mize (DET) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 – 2 | W/L | 0 – 3 |
| 49.1 | IP | 28.1 |
| 3.47 | ERA | 6.99 |
| 1.050 | WHIP | 1.480 |
| 7.7 | K/9 | 8.3 |
| 2.7 | BB/9 | 4.1 |
Twins Probable Starter J.A. Happ
- Happ will start for the Twins, his first this season.
- In his last appearance on Wednesday, Oct. 7, the 38-year-old left-hander, came out of the bullpen and went 2 2/3 innings against the Rays.
- Happ did not pitch as a moneyline favorite a season ago.
Starting pitcher projections reflect team information as of April 6, 2021 at 2:04 AM ET and may change up to the start of game.
Tigers Stats vs Happ
| Player | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Schoop | 37 | .243 | 9 | 0 | 1 | .293 | .563 |
| Miguel Cabrera | 18 | .222 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .300 | .522 |
| Jeimer Candelario | 14 | .143 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .200 | .771 |
| JaCoby Jones | 8 | .250 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .833 |
| Niko Goodrum | 8 | .750 | 6 | 0 | 0 | .750 | 1.625 |
| Nomar Mazara | 8 | .375 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .375 | .750 |
| Wilson Ramos | 8 | .375 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .375 | .750 |
| Robbie Grossman | 8 | .250 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .583 |
| Victor Reyes | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Willi Castro | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.000 |
Tigers Probable Starter Casey Mize
- Mize has been named the starter for the Tigers and will make his first start this season.
- The 23-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched since last season. He last appeared on Wednesday, Sept. 23 against the Twins, when he pitched 4 2/3 innings as the starter.
- Mize and his team won two of the games he started as the moneyline underdog last season, with a record of 2-5.
Starting pitcher projections reflect team information as of April 6, 2021 at 2:04 AM ET and may change up to the start of game.
Twins Stats vs Mize
| Player | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Polanco | 7 | .429 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .429 | 1.429 |
| Max Kepler | 5 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Miguel Sanó | 5 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .167 |
| Luis Arraez | 4 | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .500 |
| Jake Cave | 4 | .500 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .667 | 1.917 |
| Byron Buxton | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 |
| Ryan Jeffers | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .500 | 1.000 |
| Brent Rooker | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 |
| Willians Astudillo | 2 | .500 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .500 | 1.000 |
Twins Betting Trends
- Last season the Twins had the No. 18 offense in MLB action scoring 4.5 runs per game (269 total runs).
- The Twins finished with a 30-18 record in games they were favored on the moneyline last season (winning 62.5% of those games).
- In games it played as a moneyline favorite with odds of -155 or shorter, Minnesota had an 18-9 record (winning 66.7% of its games).
- Minnesota combined with opponents to go over the total 20 times last season for a 20-34-5 record against the over/under.
Tigers Betting Trends
- Last season, the Tigers won 17 out of the 48 games, or 35.4%, in which they were the underdog.
- Detroit was 12-23 last season when entering a game as the underdog by +130 or more on the moneyline.
- Detroit and its opponents hit the over in 23 of their 53 games with a total last season.
Twins Players to Watch
- Cruz had 16 home runs and 33 runs batted in last season.
- Among qualifying batters in baseball, Cruz ranked seventh in HR (16), 21st in BA (.303), and 18th in OBP (.383).
- Miguel Sano had 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 17 walks while batting .204.
- Among qualifying hitters in MLB action, Sano’s 13 HR ranked 24th.
Twins Batting Stats (2020)
| Player | AB | AVG | R | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jorge Polanco | 209 | .258 | 22 | 4 | 19 | .304 | .653 |
| Miguel Sanó | 186 | .204 | 31 | 13 | 25 | .275 | .753 |
| Nelson Cruz | 185 | .303 | 33 | 16 | 33 | .383 | .978 |
| Max Kepler | 171 | .228 | 27 | 9 | 23 | .321 | .760 |
| Byron Buxton | 130 | .254 | 19 | 13 | 27 | .267 | .844 |
| Andrelton Simmons | 118 | .297 | 19 | 0 | 10 | .346 | .702 |
| Jake Cave | 113 | .221 | 17 | 4 | 15 | .285 | .674 |
| Luis Arraez | 112 | .321 | 16 | 0 | 13 | .364 | .766 |
| Mitch Garver | 72 | .167 | 8 | 2 | 5 | .247 | .511 |
| Ryan Jeffers | 55 | .273 | 5 | 3 | 7 | .355 | .791 |
Tigers Players to Watch
- Jeimer Candelario finished last season with seven home runs, 29 RBI and a batting average of .293.
- Candelario’s SLG and OBP did not rank in the top 20 among qualified hitters in MLB.
- Miguel Cabrera slugged 11 homers and finished with 37 RBI.
- Among qualified hitters, Cabrera fell outside of the league leaders in home runs and RBI in the league.
Tigers Batting Stats (2020)
| Player | AB | AVG | R | HR | RBI | OBP | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miguel Cabrera | 208 | .250 | 29 | 11 | 37 | .325 | .753 |
| Victor Reyes | 206 | .272 | 30 | 4 | 14 | .309 | .692 |
| Jeimer Candelario | 188 | .293 | 30 | 7 | 29 | .367 | .862 |
| Robbie Grossman | 166 | .241 | 23 | 8 | 23 | .337 | .819 |
| Jonathan Schoop | 162 | .278 | 26 | 8 | 23 | .324 | .799 |
| Niko Goodrum | 161 | .186 | 15 | 5 | 21 | .268 | .610 |
| Wilson Ramos | 142 | .239 | 13 | 5 | 15 | .297 | .684 |
| Nomar Mazara | 136 | .228 | 13 | 1 | 15 | .295 | .589 |
| Willi Castro | 133 | .346 | 22 | 6 | 25 | .378 | .919 |
| JaCoby Jones | 97 | .268 | 19 | 5 | 14 | .333 | .848 |
Twins vs Tigers Player Props
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