Guardians vs. Twins June 22: AL Central Showdown for First Place
The Cleveland Guardians (35-28) face the Minnesota Twins (38-31) in a crucial AL Central matchup at Target Field on June 22nd at 7:40 p.m. The Guardians currently lead the division by a slim margin with a .556 winning percentage compared to the Twins' .551.
Game Overview:
- Betting Odds: Twins -148, Guardians +126
- Run Line: Cleveland +1.5 (-172)
- Over/Under: 8.5 runs
Pitching Matchup:
- Guardians: Triston McKenzie (4-5, 2.96 ERA, 0.93 WHIP)
- Twins: Sonny Gray (3-1, 2.09 ERA, 0.93 WHIP)
Recent Performance:
- Guardians have won 16 of their last 20 games (.800 winning percentage)
- Cleveland took game 1 of the series 6-5 in 11 innings
- Josh Naylor hit his 8th HR and had 2 hits in the opener
- Guardians rank 12th in scoring (4.56 runs/game) despite being 28th in HRs
Key Matchups:
- Guardians vs Gray: Gimenez, Hedges, Naylor combined 5-for-12 with 3 HRs
- Twins vs McKenzie: Urshela 2-for-5 with 2 HRs, Buxton and Jeffers each have 1 HR
The red-hot Guardians look to create separation atop the division behind McKenzie, while the Twins aim to reclaim first place with their ace Gray on the mound. Cleveland seeks their seventh straight series win in this pivotal divisional clash.