MLB Baseball Betting Free Picks: Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota Twins

Added on Aug 22, 2010 by Jack Thurman in

MLB

Baseball betting action in the Sunday night ESPN game features the Los Angeles Angels playing at Target Field against the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota has opened a 4 game lead over the second place Chicago White Sox AL Central, while the Angels are tied with Oakland for 2^nd place in the AL West 7 games behind the Texas Rangers.

Los Angeles Angels (Weaver) at Minnesota Twins (Baker)
August 21, 2010—5:10 PM Pacific

This could qualify as one of the matchups where one team is fighting for its playoff qualification while the other is playing out the string. The Angels were expected to take control of the AL West from the start of the season, but got off to a bad start and have really never generated much momentum. Their recent form is a perfect explanation of their season in microcosm. Texas has lost 7 of 10 giving the Angels a perfect chance to get back into the race, but they’ve squandered this opportunity with a 5-5 run in their last 10 and a 9-10 mark in August. For the year, they’re now 62-62 which is the perfect record for a team that has settled for mediocrity all season long.

Minnesota has fought back the Chicago White Sox for now and is looking to extend their AL Central lead. They maintained good form when the Sox were the hottest team in baseball earlier in the summer, and now with Chicago slipping they’re in great shape. Twins hold every significant situational edge in this matchup, starting with their solid performance at Target Field where they boast a 39-22 +6.4 record this season. They’ve been playing well all month long (13-6 +7 units in August) and have won 7 of their last 10 despite dropping a decision to the Angels on Saturdays night.

Jared Weaver has pitched fairly well in his last three starts (2-1 team record with a 3.60 ERA) and does have better YTD numbers than Scott Baker. Of course the important thing for baseball bettors are wins and losses, and the Twins have won Scott Baker’s last three starts (3.86 ERA in that stretch) and 8 of his 12 home starts this season. The Angels have lost 8 of Weaver’s 14 road starts this year, part of L.A.’s 29-35 record away from Anaheim.

The situation in the American League is pretty cut and dried—if you want to go to the playoffs, you have to win the division. Depending on how the AL East shakes out, either Tampa Bay or the Yankees have the wildcard berth locked up. This reality should keep the Twins playing well and they’ve got a great chance to pick up a game against a team that hasn’t shown much intensity down the stretch. Minnesota has taken 4 of 6 from the Angels this year, and we like them to pick up another victory here.

Bet Minnesota (Baker) -120 over Los Angeles Angels (Weaver)