On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Rays (69-70) are hosting the Minnesota Twins (75-64), at 1:10 p.m. ET, in the final game of a four-game series.
The Rays (+118 underdog moneyline odds) hit the field versus the Twins (-140). The matchup on the mound for this contest is set with the Minnesota Twins looking to Pablo Lopez (13-8), and Taj Bradley (6-9) taking the ball for the Tampa Bay Rays.
These clubs meet again after the Rays’ 9-4 victory over the Twins yesterday. Tyler Alexander (3.2 IP, 4 R, 9 H, 2 K) registered the win for the Rays. Yandy Diaz went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI to lead the team on offense. Louie Varland (2.1 IP, 8 R, 5 H, 1 K) was credited with the loss on the mound for the Twins.
Before watching this Twins vs. Rays matchup, here’s everything you need to know about Thursday’s action on the diamond, including viewing options.
Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Rays odds and betting lines
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 9:17 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
- Favorite: Twins (-140, bet $140 to win $100)
- Underdog: Rays (+118, bet $100 to win $118)
- Over/under: 7
Twins vs. Rays: Live streaming info & game time
- Game Day: Thursday, September 5, 2024
- Game Time: 1:10 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Tropicana Field
- TV Channel: Bally Sports
- Live Stream: Fubo (Watch for free)
Twins stats and trends
Twins betting records
- This season, the Twins have won 57 out of the 94 games, or 60.6%, in which they’ve been favored.
- Minnesota is 37-20 this season when entering a game favored by -140 or more on the moneyline.
- Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Twins have a 58.3% chance to win.
- So far this season, Minnesota and its opponents have hit the over in 71 of 139 games with a total.
- The Twins are 64-74-0 against the spread in their 138 chances this season.
Pablo Lopez (Twins probable starter)
- Lopez (13-8 with a 4.05 ERA and 164 strikeouts in 155 2/3 innings pitched) gets the start for the Twins, his 28th of the season.
- The righty last appeared on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, when he went 7 2/3 scoreless innings while giving up six hits.
- In 27 games this season, the 28-year-old has a 4.05 ERA and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, while giving up a batting average of .241 to his opponents.
- Lopez is trying to notch his fifth quality start in a row in this game.
- Lopez will try to prolong a 13-game streak of lasting five or more innings (he’s averaging 5.7 innings per appearance).
- He is looking to make his fourth straight outing with no earned runs surrendered.
- He will match up with a Rays team that is hitting .231 as a unit (27th in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .369 (28th in MLB) with 128 total home runs (27th in MLB).
- Lopez has thrown four innings, giving up five earned runs on seven hits while striking out three against the Rays this season.
- This season, the 28-year-old ranks 42nd in ERA (4.05), 21st in WHIP (1.124), and 15th in K/9 (9.5) among qualifying pitchers.
Twins batting stats
- The Twins’ 168 home runs rank 10th in Major League Baseball.
- Hitters for Minnesota rank sixth in the majors with a combined .425 team slugging percentage.
- The Twins rank eighth in MLB with a .252 team batting average.
- Minnesota has scored 662 runs (4.8 per game) this season, which ranks 11th in MLB.
- The Twins are among the best in the league at getting on base, ranking seventh with an OBP of .321.
- Minnesota is one of the most-disciplined teams at the plate this season, ranking ninth with an average of 8.0 strikeouts per game.
Rays stats and trends
Rays betting records
- The Rays have been victorious in 32, or 45.7%, of the 70 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
- Tampa Bay has a mark of 11-15 in contests where sportsbooks favor it by +118 or worse on the moneyline.
- Bookmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Rays have a 45.9% chance of pulling out a win.
- Tampa Bay and its opponents have hit the over in 64 of its 139 games with a total set by oddsmakers this season.
- The Rays have posted a record of 76-62-0 against the spread this season.
Taj Bradley (Rays probable starter)
- The Rays are sending Bradley (6-9) to the mound for his 21st start of the season. He is 6-9 with a 4.35 ERA and 121 strikeouts through 109 2/3 innings pitched.
- In his most recent time out on Friday against the San Diego Padres, the right-hander tossed 2 1/3 innings, giving up eight earned runs while surrendering eight hits.
- The 23-year-old has an ERA of 4.35, with 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 20 games this season. Opponents are hitting .234 against him.
- Bradley has eight quality starts under his belt this season.
- Bradley has pitched five or more innings in a game 16 times this season heading into this game.
- He has had six appearances this season in which he did not surrender an earned run.
- He will match up with a Twins offense that is batting .252 as a unit (eighth in the MLB). They are also slugging a collective .425 (sixth in the league) with 168 total home runs (10th in MLB action).
- In six innings over one appearance against the Twins this season, Bradley has a 3.00 ERA and a 1.500 WHIP while his opponents are hitting .292.
Rays batting stats
- The Rays are fourth-worst in MLB play with 128 home runs.
- So far this season, Tampa Bay has the third-lowest slugging percentage in the majors (.369).
- The Rays have the fourth-worst batting average in the majors (.231).
- The offense for Tampa Bay is No. 28 in baseball scoring 3.9 runs per game (542 total runs).
- The Rays are 21st in MLB with an on-base percentage of .306.
