Barstool Bush
Predictions

Cleveland Guardians at Minnesota Twins

By Bush StaffUpdated 44d ago·2 min read
Cleveland GuardiansCLE(47-45)
Minnesota TwinsMIN(45-47)
5—6
FINAL
123456789RHE
CLE
000300200580
MIN
0003002016111

First pitch was 6:40 PM CT, and it lined up as a classic back-of-rotation clash: Slade Cecconi for Cleveland against Connor Prielipp for Minnesota, two arms trying to string together a good week after uneven Junes.

Show fees
FINAL
Spread
ML
Total
Guardians(47-45)
LLLWW
5
Twins(45-47)
WWWLW
6
Best BetGuardians +109
Postgame

The pick missed — Minnesota's bottom-9th run walked it off, and the deeper Twins bullpen bear point was exactly what beat Cleveland late.

Pregame

Cleveland at plus-money was the lean here, banking on Cecconi settling in against a Twins lineup that's been hot but still isn't overwhelming anyone on paper. Sharp money actually piled onto Minnesota pregame, so this was a fade of the crowd, not a ride with it.

Minnesota's pitching depth chart is a mess right now. Bailey Ober is finally lined up to return Thursday, Cole Sands and Ryan Jeffers are still working through rehab assignments, and the Twins just placed reliever Marco Raya on the 15-day IL with a shoulder impingement hours before first pitch. Cleveland isn't much healthier — Jose Ramirez remains out with a hand injury and Angel Martinez is still working his way back from a foot issue, both stuck on the 10-day IL.

Cleveland Guardians
Slade Cecconi
(4-6)·4.55 ERA
Jul 2 vs White Sox
ND
5.0IP
5ER
3K
1BB
100P
07/08 Lineup
Minnesota Twins
Connor Prielipp
(2-5)·5.00 ERA
Jun 28 vs Rockies
ND
6.0IP
2ER
10K
0BB
93P
07/08 Lineup

None of that stopped either lineup from doing damage early. Both teams found the scoreboard in bursts instead of a slow build, which made for the kind of choppy, swing-of-momentum game that's tough to bet cleanly and even tougher to look away from.

This one had two matching 3-run 4th innings and two matching 2-run 7th innings before Minnesota finally broke the tie with a run in the bottom of the 9th to walk it off, 6-5. Cleveland's bullpen held a stalemate as long as it could, but the extra frame of offense went to the home team when it mattered most.

Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians
(47-45)
Jul 7L@ Twins1-3
Jul 5Lvs White Sox6-7
Jul 4Lvs White Sox1-3
Jul 3Wvs White Sox4-3
Jul 2Wvs White Sox6-5
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
(45-47)
Jul 7Wvs Guardians3-1
Jul 5W@ Yankees6-1
Jul 4W@ Yankees11-4
Jul 3L@ Yankees2-5
Jul 2W@ Astros8-3

The loss extends a rough stretch for Cleveland, who dropped 3 of their last 5 coming in, including Tuesday's series opener against this same Twins club. Life without Ramirez has been brutal on that lineup — Cleveland has gone 6-10 since he went down, hitting .223 with a .351 slugging mark as a team over that span, per MLB.com. Minnesota, meanwhile, keeps finding ways to win with a MASH unit rotation, riding a 4-of-5 stretch that includes a series win over the Yankees.

Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland Guardians
(3)
  • Day-To-DayTim Herrin (RP) — Herrin allowed no runs in one inning and tallied a strikeout in the 4-2 loss to the Blue Jays on Sunday.07/09
  • 10-Day-ILJose Ramirez (3B) — Ramirez (hand) has been hitting off a tee and is expected to face overhand pitching soon, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.07/05
  • 10-Day-ILAngel Martinez (LF) — Martinez (foot) took batting practice Saturday for the first time since landing on the injured list, MLB.com reports.07/05
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
(11)
  • Day-To-DayZebby Matthews (SP) — Matthews was removed during the fifth inning of Saturday's start against the Yankees due to a right foot laceration, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports.07/04
  • 10-Day-ILRyan Jeffers (C) — Twins manager Derek Shelton said Tuesday that Jeffers (hand) will remain on his rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul "for at least the next three or four days," Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.07/08
  • 10-Day-ILByron Buxton (CF) — The Twins placed Buxton (hip) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reports.07/07
  • 15-Day-ILMarco Raya (RP) — The Twins placed Raya on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right shoulder impingement, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/08
  • 15-Day-ILBailey Ober (SP) — Ober (elbow) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list and start Thursday's game versus the Guardians, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/08
  • 15-Day-ILCole Sands (RP) — Sands (forearm) tossed a perfect inning in his rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.07/08
  • 15-Day-ILMick Abel (SP) — Abel underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.07/06
  • 15-Day-ILAnthony Banda (RP) — The Twins placed Banda on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left lat strain.06/29
  • 60-Day-ILGarrett Acton (RP) — Acton (shoulder) was expected to resume facing hitters last week, MLB.com reports.07/06
  • 60-Day-ILDavid Festa (SP) — The Twins announced June 1 that Festa (shoulder) has started a throwing progression, MLB.com reports.06/11
  • 60-Day-ILPablo Lopez (SP) — The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

Neither team is whole, but the Twins are proving the deeper injury list doesn't have to be the deciding factor — not when the lineup keeps grinding out extra runs late. Cleveland will need Ramirez back sooner than later if this slide is going to stop.

Sources

MLBCleveland GuardiansMinnesota TwinsPolymarketKalshiSlade CecconiConnor Prielipp