Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Guardians 9/16/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

The Minnesota Twins open a three-game series on the road Friday against the Cleveland Guardians. Minnesota improved to 71-70 following its 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Minnesota is third in the American League Central, five games behind first-place and sixth in the AL wild-card race, a distant 7 ½ games behind the third and final spot.

First baseman Luis Arraez is batting .320 with 156 hits and an on-base percentage of .380 to lead Minnesota in each category. Center fielder Byron Buxton is the leader in home runs with 28 and designated hitter Jose Miranda is the leader in RBIs with 63. Minnesota has not announced its starting pitcher for the opening game of the three-game series on Friday versus Cleveland.

Cleveland is 76-65 following its 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez hit a two-run home run to break a tie in the eighth inning and help lead the Guardians two their sixth consecutive victory. Cleveland is first in the American League Central, four games ahead of the second-place Chicago White Sox.

Second baseman Andres Gimenez is batting .300 to lead Cleveland and has a team-high .370 on-base percentage. Third baseman Jose Ramirez is the leader in home runs with 27 and RBIs with 111, while shortstop Amed Rosario is the leader in hits with 152. On Friday, the Cleveland Guardians will send Triston McKenzie to the mound. The right-hander is 10-11 with a 3.05 ERA, 159 Ks and 43 BBs.