Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Odds, Prediction
Toronto is a shorter -130 favourite on the MLB odds due to facing Minnesota’s ace. The total is 7.5.
Betting Analysis
Technically, every American League team still has mathematical playoff hopes. But the Minnesota Twins are 10.5 games back of the Junior Circuit’s final Wild-Card spot and only have a better record among AL teams than the awful White Sox. In reality, Minnesota waived the white flag ahead of last month’s trade deadline by shipping out nearly a dozen guys overall from the 26-man roster.
It will mark a second straight season missing the playoffs, and that may well mean that manager Rocco Baldelli is not back in 2026. Originally, the franchise also was for sale but only about two weeks ago the Pohlad family, which has owned the club for decades, had halted the sale process and would remain the principal owners. They are taking on investors.
This is Minnesota’s only series in Toronto this year, and it has won two of three at Rogers Centre in three straight years. The Blue Jays won two of three in the Twin Cities from June 6-8. George Springer had a nice series with two homers and four RBIs. Bo Bichette was just 1-for-12 with four Ks.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins have not won back-to-back games since Aug. 8 and enter having been blown out on Saturday and Sunday at the AL-worst White Sox. Sunday’s 8-0 defeat marked the 10th this time this year the team has been blanked. You never want to say professional ballplayers have quit on a season, but some Minnesota guys might have. Hey, the front office gave up on them at the trade deadline.
One major bright spot of late, though, has been rookie infielder Luke Keaschall, the team’s No. 3 overall prospect. He was recalled in early August and might be in the Show to stay, having hit safely in 15 of 18 games this month and slashing .329/.390/.486 with five doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Minnesota listened to trade offers for ace righty Joe Ryan (12-6, 2.77 ERA) but opted to keep the 29-year-old as he takes the mound Monday. You could see trade talks restarted this winter simply for financial reasons as Ryan starts to get more expensive through arbitration. Ryan beat the visiting Blue Jays on June 8, allowing two earned over five. Yet he has been better away this year at 6-2 with a 2.44 ERA in 12 starts. Minnesota has one of the worst records in the majors on the road at 26-40.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto had a chance to finish its six-game trip at 4-2 by completing a three-game sweep in Miami on Sunday but ran into excellent young Marlins starting pitcher Eury Perez in the 5-3 loss. All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at least got into the game to pinch-hit late after missing the previous four games because of hamstring inflammation. That could bode well for Guerrero Jr. to play at DH on Monday, and manager John Schneider hinted as much.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, the team called up Paxton Schultz from Triple-A Buffalo and sent down fellow reliever Mason Fluharty. Moving forward on the mound, the Blue Jays will have a six-man rotation, and it’s Max Scherzer’s turn on Monday. Scherzer (4-2, 3.60 ERA) has been excellent in August at 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA in four starts and carries a string of five straight quality outings into tonight. The future Hall of Famer missed the Twins early this season and is 9-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 18 career starts against them. The Blue Jays are 15-5 in their past 20 home games.
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