Twins vs Red Sox | Prediction & Pick

vs.

Minnesota Twins vs. Boston Red Sox MLB Pick

Date/Time: Saturday, May 7, 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Fenway Park in Boston, MA.
Broadcast: FOX

Money Line: Twins +145, Red Sox -165
Spread: Red Sox -1.5
Over/Under: 9

Click Here for more Free Expert MLB Baseball Picks

Two teams that surprisingly finish the first full week of May under .500 in the American League meet in Massachusetts as the Minnesota Twins visit the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

The Twins enter this weekend in fourth place in the AL Central. At seven games under .500, they are already 9 ½  behind the surprising division leading Cleveland Indians. The Twins are also five full games back of the wild card, so this is a weekend they need to start winning games.

The Red Sox began the season with that horrible start, but are playing better lately. They enter play this weekend three games under .500 but just four games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East chase.

Saturday’s projected starters are Brian Duensing for Minnesota and Clay Buchholz for Boston.

Duensing is 2-1 with a 2.91 ERA on the season. He has only pitched 2 1/3 innings against the Red Sox in his young career. Buchholz is 2-3 on the campaign with a 4.81 ERA, but is 2-1 in his last three starts with a 3.38 ERA over 18 2/3 innings. Buchholz is 1-1 in two career appearances versus the Twins with a 6.57 ERA.

The Twins have struggled in large part in this early season because of injuries. Only Danny Valencia and Jason Kubel have played in all 29 games entering Friday. Kubel has been the bright spot for the offense, with a .350 average and three homers. Minnesota ranks last in the American league in hitting, home runs, and runs scored, while also striking out the most.

Boston has seen a good start offensively from new first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who is hitting .306 with a team best 21 RBIs. Jed Lowrie has been a savior for Terry Francona’s crew. Lowrie has hit .348 off the bench with six doubles, 13 RBIs, and 16 runs scored in 94 plate appearances.

The odds makers have the Boston Red Sox  as a -1.5 point favorite with an run total of 9.

Check out the latest MLB Baseball Odds here.

Matt’s Free Prediction:  Boston – The Red Sox are starting to shake off the ill effects of that horrible start to the season. The trio of Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, and David Ortiz, has combined to hit 13 home runs this season. That is the combined total of the entire Twins roster so far in 2011.

Need more help making your picks winners? Check out our top  handicappers.

Bet the Twins/Red Sox game at an online sportsbook that gives you a 50% sign up bonus from the website “Where the Line Originates” – Bookmaker.com.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends:

• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 6 games
• Minnesota is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games
• Minnesota is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Minnesota’s last 18 games on the road

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends:

• The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Boston’s last 8 games when playing Minnesota
• Boston is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Minnesota
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota
• Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Minnesota