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The Minnesota Twins will be home when they face the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday night. The Twins defeated the Detroit Tigers 4-1 on Wednesday to improve to 55-49 this year. The Blue Jays now find themselves at 58-46 this season after losing Wednesday's game to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Twins currently lead the American League Central entering Thursday's game by one game over the Cleveland Guardians.
"Series W! #TwinsWin!" - Twins
Sonny Gray, who is 6-3 with a 3.41 ERA, will be taking the hill Thursday for Minnesota. In his previous 11 frames, the veteran right-hander has been great, surrendering just two earned runs.
The Blue Jays offense Gray will be tasked with has been slumping recently, but they still boast some strong bats. They also added Whit Merrifield at the trade deadline for depth, which should help them long term. Look for Gray to try and make it three good starts in a row on Thursday.
Toronto will trot out Alek Manoah, who is 11-5 with a 2.43 ERA. He has been spectacular this year and will be facing a solid Twins lineup. On Friday, Manoah tossed 5 1/3 frames, surrendering seven hits and four earned runs while striking out four in a loss to the Detroit Tigers.
"Alek Manoah is bout that" - Starting 9
This wasn't the ace-like performance we're accustomed to seeing from Manoah, but he should bounce back in the series opener. The Blue Jays' righty has been excellent on the road, sporting a 2.37 ERA away from home this year, so expect him to keep this up on Thursday.
Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays Match Details
Fixture: Toronto Blue Jays @ Minnesota Twins
Date & Time: Thursday, August 4, 7:40 p.m. EDT
Venue: Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays Betting Odds
Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays Best Picks
Alek Manoah had an uncharacteristically poor start last week, but he's allowed more than two earned runs just once in his previous four outings. Expect him to show why he's an All-Star and expect him to limit runs.
Pick: Alek Manoah Under 2.5 Earned Runs Allowed (+105)
Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays Betting Prediction
The Blue Jays have won 11 of their past 14 when favored. Meanwhile, the Twins have lost seven of their previous eight as underdogs. Look for the visitors to take the first game of the series behind their ace.
Prediction: Blue Jays ML (-122)
