Blue Jays vs. Twins Prediction, Computer Picks, Odds & Pitching Matchup 8/7/2022

The Toronto Blue Jays (59-48) visit the Minnesota Twins (57-50) at 2:10 PM ET Sunday in a meeting between two of the league’s best hitters. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is batting .311 this year (seventh in the league) for the favored Blue Jays (-159), while Luis Arraez ranks second in the majors with a .325 average for the underdog Twins. Kevin Gausman takes the mound for Toronto while Chris Archer is Minnesota’s starter for the contest.

Blue Jays vs. Twins Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Blue Jays vs. Twins

Our best bet is the Twins on the moneyline at +136 after analyzing all of the key statistics and trends for this matchup. Our computer projects the scoring will over the total of 8.5 runs.

Our computer pick: Minnesota Twins (+136) and Over (8.5)

Blue Jays vs. Twins Game Info

• Toronto Blue Jays probable starting pitcher: Kevin Gausman
• Minnesota Twins probable starting pitcher: Chris Archer
• Game Day: Sunday, August 7, 2022
• Game Time: 2:10 PM ET
• Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Stadium: Target Field

Toronto Blue Jays vs Minnesota Twins Pitching Matchup

Blue Jays Starter Kevin Gausman

• Gausman (8-8) takes the mound for the Blue Jays in his 21st start of the season. He has a 3.06 ERA in 111 2/3 innings pitched, with 132 strikeouts.
• In his most recent appearance on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, the righty tossed eight scoreless innings while surrendering one hit.
• The 31-year-old has amassed an ERA of 3.06, with 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings, in 20 games this season. Opponents are hitting .271 against him.
• Gausman has 11 quality starts under his belt this year.
• Gausman heads into this game with 16 outings of five or more innings pitched this campaign.
• He will take the mound against a Twins offense that is batting .251 as a unit (seventh in MLB). It is also slugging a collective .419 (eighth in MLB) with 133 total home runs (eighth in MLB).
• In 3 2/3 innings over one appearance against the Twins this season, Gausman has a 7.36 ERA and a 2.727 WHIP while his opponents are batting .450.
• This season, the 31-year-old ranks 20th in ERA (3.06), 44th in WHIP (1.245), and sixth in K/9 (10.6) among qualifying pitchers.

Twins Starter Chris Archer

• Archer (2-5) will take the mound for the Twins, his 19th start of the season.
• The right-hander gave up two earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched on Tuesday in his last outing, a matchup with the Detroit Tigers.
• The 33-year-old has pitched in 18 games this season with an ERA of 4.05, a 1.55 strikeout to walk ratio and a WHIP of 1.323.
• Archer has not earned a quality start in 18 starts this season.
• Archer has made three starts of five or more innings in 18 chances this season, and averages 4.0 frames when he pitches.
• The Blue Jays have scored 517 runs this season, which ranks fifth in MLB. They are batting .264 for the campaign with 139 home runs, sixth in the league.

Blue Jays Betting Picks & Insights

• The Blue Jays have won 50, or 56.8%, of the 88 games they’ve played as favorites this season.
• Toronto is 28-16 this season when entering a game favored by -159 or more on the moneyline.
• The implied probability of a win from the Blue Jays, based on the moneyline, is 61.4%.
• Games involving Toronto have gone over the total set by oddsmakers in 57 of 106 chances this season.
• The Blue Jays are 48-58-0 against the spread this season.

Twins Betting Picks & Insights

• The Twins have been chosen as underdogs in 44 games this year and have walked away with the win 18 times (40.9%) in those games.
• Minnesota has a win-loss record of 4-5 when favored by +136 or worse by sportsbooks this year.
• Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Twins have a 42.4% chance of pulling out a win.
• Minnesota and their opponents have gone over in 52 of their 108 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.
• The Twins are 53-55-0 against the spread in their 108 games that had a posted line this season.

Blue Jays Leaders & Batting Stats

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the Blue Jays best power option, connecting on 23 round-trippers this season in addition to collecting 68 RBI, both team highs.
• In all of MLB, Guerrero ranks 15th in home runs and 14th in RBI.
• Guerrero carries a 17-game hitting streak into this matchup. In his last 10 games he is batting .395 with five doubles, two home runs, four walks and six RBI.
• Alejandro Kirk is hitting .299 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 41 walks.
• Kirk is 84th in homers and 115th in RBI among all batters in baseball.
• Bo Bichette is hitting .262 with 26 doubles, 15 home runs and 27 walks.
• Bichette is on a three-game hitting streak entering this contest. In his last five games he is hitting .318 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI.
• Whit Merrifield is batting .245 with 23 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 30 walks.
• Merrifield takes a four-game streak with at least one hit into this one. During his last five outings he is hitting .286 with a home run, a walk and three RBI.

Twins Leaders & Batting Stats

• Arraez paces the Twins with a team-leading batting average of .325.
• Arraez ranks 200th in home runs and 154th in RBI among all hitters in the big leagues.
• Jorge Polanco has driven in the most runs for the Twins with 51 runs batted in.
• Among all MLB hitters, Polanco is 63rd in homers and 57th in RBI.
• Byron Buxton leads the Twins with 26 long balls.
• Max Kepler is batting .241 with 13 doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 41 walks.