Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Minnesota Twins Prediction: Can Twins Bounce Back Against Ryne Nelson, Diamondbacks?
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Minnesota Twins Prediction: Can Twins Bounce Back Against Ryne Nelson, Diamondbacks?
The Minnesota Twins and Arizona Diamondbacks square off in game two of their three-game series tonight from Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks took a close game last night by a score of 5–4 and have now moved to one game under .500 on the season. The Twins, meanwhile, narrowly keep their place behind the guardians for second place in the AL Central standings with a record of 43–36. What should we expect in game two of this series tonight?
Diamondbacks vs. Twins DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: June 26, 2024
- Start Time: 9:40 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB Extra Innings
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Minnesota Twins Prediction
The first pitcher on the mound tonight will be Ryne Nelson of the Diamondbacks. Nelson debuted in 2022 with three starts under his belt that year looking pretty sharp. However, he followed that up with a 5.31 ERA in 27 starts in 2023 and now a 5.18 ERA in 12 starts in 2024. Nelson has struggled to keep runners off base and has allowed a shocking .362 batting average to right-handed batters this season.
Nelson is coming off two great back-to-back starts, but they were against weaker opposition. He had a seven-inning two-earned run outing against the Nationals last time out and a six-inning one-earned run outing against the White Sox before that two starts ago. Now, he will face off against the hottest offense in baseball in June.
Since the start of June, the Minnesota Twins are batting .324 with a .930 OPS, which both lead the MLB. They have also had just a 14.6% strikeout rate over that time, which is the lowest in baseball as well. The offense is clicking, and while they only put up four runs last night on the Diamondbacks, they had many hard-hit balls that were unluckily right into gloves. With this Twins offense playing as it is right now, Sean Woods-Richardson should get some decent run support. Woods-Richardson is pitching to the tune of a 3.26 ERA this season and has been a nice surprise for the Twins rotation. The rookie has certainly been a key piece of the Twins pitching staff, as he only has three outings this season in which he allowed more than two earned runs. This will be much needed if the Twins want to bounce back and keep the Diamondbacks' bats in check. The Twins made last night's game very interesting with a line drive out that would’ve tied the game in the ninth inning last night. With how hot the Twins offense is, I think they will shell Ryne Nelson tonight, who is due for another poor outing. Woods-Richardson has been consistent enough that he should be able to give the Twins a quality start tonight and give way to a bullpen that has been improving in June. Back the Twins to bounce back in game two of the series and even it up.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Minnesota Twins Pick
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Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Minnesota Twins System Projections - June 26th
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Ben Rajavuori is a handicapper out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been creating sports content for almost four years now and is an expert in all things NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC, and NCAAB. Ben thrives on diving deep into statistics to find the best angle on every bet. You can follow him on Twitter @WeBeatTheSpread.