The Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Dodgers will begin a quick two-game series at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Twins split a four-game set with the Blue Jays over the weekend and are still first in the AL Central despite a modest 7-7 record since the All-Star break. The Dodgers are riding high following a three-game sweep of the retooled Padres. They’ve won eight in a row and 14 of 17 to start the second half of the season.
Can Minnesota cool off red-hot Los Angeles? Find out in our free MLB picks and predictions for Twins vs Dodgers on Tuesday, August 9.
Twins vs Dodgers odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Dodgers opened as -192 consensus favorites and are proving to be popular at most sportsbooks. L.A. has been bet down 20 to 45 cents from that initial line, depending on where you look.
The total was unveiled at 8.5, but that number has since evaporated. Now, 8.0 is the prevailing figure.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Twins vs Dodgers predictions
Picks made on 8/9/2022 at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Twins vs Dodgers game info
• Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
• Date: Tuesday, August 9, 2022
• First pitch: 10:10 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports North, SportsNet LA
Twins vs Dodgers betting preview
Starting pitchers
Joe Ryan (8-4, 3.67 ERA): Ryan bounced back from a disastrous start against the Padres in which he allowed 10 runs over 4 2-3 innings by holding the Tigers to one run over five frames last Wednesday. He’s been struggling to give the Twins length of late, averaging 4.93 innings over his last five efforts.
Julio Urias (11-6, 2.57 ERA): Much like his entire team, Urias is on quite a run. He’s earned the win in eight of his last nine starts, producing a 2.28 ERA in that span. Urias struck out 53 batters while walking only nine in that nine-game sample.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Twins are 19-43 in their last 62 interleague road games against teams with winning records. Find more MLB betting trends for Twins vs. Dodgers
Twins vs Dodgers picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Moneyline analysis
The Dodgers can’t win every game they play, but it’s difficult to see a path to victory for the Twins in this one. Bettors should side with the chalk.
Minnesota starter Joe Ryan is not in an advantageous position in this one, as he owns a 4.57 ERA on the road and a 4.74 ERA in night games in his rookie season. His corresponding splits are 2.92 and 2.40, respectively.
Ryan has failed to pitch at least six innings in 10 of his last 13 starts, and a major contributor to that is how much easier he is to hit as the game goes along. The California native surrenders a .164 opponent batting average the first time through the order, a .234 average the second time through, and a .290 average the third time.
The Dodgers should feast on the right-handed Ryan, as they’re fourth in the majors in batting average against righties in 2022 (.260). The left-hand hitting Freddie Freeman has led the charge for L.A. in that department, batting .337 with 11 homers and 53 RBI against orthodox hurlers this season.
In addition to Freeman, Ryan must also pitch carefully to Mookie Betts, who’s batting .375 with a pair of homers and seven RBI to begin the month of August.
Julio Urias counters for the Dodgers, looking for his ninth win in a 10-start span. He need not be perfect but giving L.A. a quality start would enable manager Dave Roberts to simply deploy his three strongest arms from the bullpen (Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, and Craig Kimbrel) to close things out.
Phillips has a 1.13 ERA with three holds since the All-Star break, Vesia has a 2.57 ERA with five holds in the same span, and Kimbrel has converted all five save opportunities in that stretch.
Prediction: Dodgers moneyline (-220 at Unibet)
Over/Under analysis
The Twins may not be able to outscore the Dodgers on Tuesday night, but this offense should not go quietly while helping this tilt exceed the total.
Minnesota’s lineup is third in the majors in runs per game on the road this year, plating 4.98 per contest. Jose Miranda’s road splits stand out, as he’s hitting .301 as a visiting player with eight taters and 28 RBI.
Luis Arraez is always apt to drive opposing pitchers crazy, especially on the road, where he’s batting .324. He’s fresh off back-to-back three-hit games against the Blue Jays over the weekend.
Byron Buxton should bring the pop from the right side of the plate against the left-handed Urias — he has a .961 OPS against lefties this year.
Trend bettors should note that the Over is 8-1 in the Twins’ last nine road games with the total set between 7.0 and 8.5, and 12-3-1 in their last 16 road games overall.
Prediction: Over 8 (-110 at Caesars)
Best bet
Not only do the Dodgers have the advantage on paper in the starting pitching matchup, but in the bullpen battle as well.
L.A. has had one of the top-ranked relief units all year long despite a host of injuries, and the Dodgers are second by ERA over the last two weeks at 1.96. By contrast, the Twins are 17th in the same span at 3.83.
Minnesota improved its bullpen at the deadline by adding Michael Fulmer and Jorge Lopez, and while Fulmer has worked 2 2-3 clean innings thus far, Lopez has been a mixed bag, saving one game and blowing the save in another.
Manager Rocco Baldelli doesn’t have many reliable options for middle relief if Ryan is chased early. Trevor Megill (4.76 ERA since the All-Star break) and Griffin Jax (6.75 ERA since the All-Star break) have received plenty of work of late despite modest results.
The trends suggest that chalk players will cash, as the Twins are 5-21 in their last 26 interleague games against left-handed starters, while the Dodgers are 57-17 in their last 74 home games.
L.A. should prevail with relatively little drama, and look like a safe addition to any MLB parlay on Tuesday night. But their moneyline price has relatively little appeal. Bettors looking for one strong straight wager in this tilt should target the Dodgers run line.
Runs do not figure to be at a premium in this tilt, and L.A. looks to have the decided advantage on both offense and defense. The sooner the offense chases Ryan, the sooner the Dodgers can attack a susceptible Minnesota middle relief unit and run away with proceedings.
Pick: Dodgers run line -1.5 (-103 at Unibet)
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