Washington Nationals (5-13) vs. Minnesota Twins (11-7)
April 21, 2023 8:10 pm EDT
The Line: Minnesota Twins -213 / Washington Nationals +165; Over/Under: +7.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Washington Nationals and the Minnesota Twins meet Friday in MLB action from Target Field. Washington is coming off a two-game series versus the Orioles this week, losing both matchups. As for the Twins, they played the Red Sox in their last set. After a split in the first pair, in the Thursday rubber match Minnesota lost in a blowout. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
Washington Nationals
The Nationals fell in a close one to the Orioles 1-0 on Tuesday, then lost in a shutout 4-0 in game two. Washington out-hit Baltimore 6-4 in that one, and starter MacKenzie Gore finished with 6.0 innings, three earned, three hits and four walks.
For the starter job in the Friday matchup the Nats will send out Trevor Williams. In his three starts so far Williams is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA and nine Ks in 15.1 innings. Williams is 39-45 with a 4.25 ERA over 162 career games (121 starts).
Minnesota Twins
Over on the Minnesota side, they lost 5-4 to the Red Sox on Tuesday, but bounced back for a 10-4 win in game two. In the Thursday rubber match the Twins gave up 14 hits and six runs in the third inning alone during an 11-5 blowout loss. Kenta Maeda put up 2.0 innings with one hit, one walk and one earned run.
It’ll be Tyler Mahle in the starting role for the Twins on Friday. In his three starts so far Mahle is 1-2 with a 4.11 ERA. He’s got 18 Ks in 15.1 innings. Mahle is 33-41 in his career with a 4.35 ERA in 121 games (120 starts).
The Nationals are 35-17 in their last 52 versus the AL Central and 31-72 in their last 103 overall. Washington is 5-14 in their last 19 road games.
Meanwhile, the Twins are 17-36 in their last 53 versus the NL East and 2-5 in their last seven at home after a road trip of a week or more. Minnesota is 6-2 in their last eight interleague games versus a team with a losing record.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll take a stab on the Nationals as a value play. Williams has pitched pretty well in his first three games. In his last pair combined, he’s got 10.1 innings with three earned, nine hits and two walks. As for Mahle, he started well this year but he’s had a few bumps in the road over the last pair. In those two starts Mahle is 0-2 with six earned in 10.1 innings on 12 hits and four walks. That said, I like Mahle to at least flirt with a quality start here in a fairly close game. Should be a fun one to watch.
