The Minnesota Twins take on the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, in the third contest of a four-game series at Progressive Field in Cleveland, so here’s the best betting pick for this AL Central showdown.

The Twins beat the Tribe 5-2 last Monday to open this set and improve to 8-5 against Cleveland in 2021 (Tuesday’s clash has been excluded). Minnesota is a +125 moneyline dog for Wednesday’s contest, while Cleveland sits at -135 odds with a total of 9.0 runs on BetOnline Sportsbook

The Twins look to extend their dominance over Cleveland        

The Minnesota Twins improved to 60-77 on the season following that 5-2 win at Progressive Field, tallying their eighth victory in the previous 11 encounters with the Tribe. Minnesota was still sitting bottom the AL Central, a couple of games behind Kansas City, as the Twins haven’t been at their best recently, dropping 11 of their previous 18 contests overall.

Joe Ryan will get the starting call Wednesday, his second in the big leagues. The 25-year-old right-hander had a rough debut on the first day of September, picking up a loss in a 3-0 defeat to the Chicago Cubs. He tossed five frames and yielded three earned runs on three hits and one walk while striking out five.

Ryan spent three seasons in the minors, posting a 2.67 ERA and 0.87 WHIP across 226 innings of work. He’s registered a 3.41 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, and a 92/12 K/BB ratio in 13 starts and one relief appearance in Triple-A.

The Indians hope for another gem from Triston McKenzie   

The Cleveland Indians fell to 68-67 on the season following Monday night’s defeat to the Twins. It was their third loss in the last four outings, as the Indians continue to play in a shaky form. Over the last couple of weeks, they’ve recorded the sixth-best OPS in the majors (.818) while posting a mediocre 4.02 ERA and a .255 batting average against.

Triston McKenzie will get the nod Wednesday, searching for his fourth straight victory. The 24-year-old righty has been a monster over the last few weeks, boasting a 1.33 ERA and 30/3 K/BB ratio across 27 innings of work while allowing a ridiculous .100/.138/.167 batting line to his opponents.

McKenzie turned the corner in August after a serious struggle in the first four months of the season. He met the Twins in May and got pounded for six earned runs on a couple of hits and five walks through just 3.1 frames of work.

Trends:

Minnesota:

  • 4-7 in the last 11 games on the road
  • 2-6 in the last eight games played in September

Cleveland:

  • 5-2 in Triston McKenzie’s last seven starts

Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians Pick

This game could easily go either way, as the Twins have dominated the Indians so far this season, but Minnesota’s recent form is not encouraging. The Twins are slashing just .239/.314/.402 in the last two weeks while posting a pedestrian 5.29 ERA.

I will lean on Triston McKenzie to put on another strong performance and get revenge for a heavy loss to the Twins earlier in the season. His control has improved a lot, so McKenzie should torture the Twins this time around.

Pick: Take Cleveland Indians at -135

The Total:

The over is 8-3-1 in the last 12 encounters between the Twin and Tribe, and I would stick with this betting trend despite my faith in Triston McKenzie. The Indians’ offense is looking good and should score a few runs off Joe Ryan to get into the Twins bullpen early.

Minnesota’s relievers have registered a 3.16 ERA over the last couple of weeks, but a 5.06 FIP tells me they haven’t been really sharp. On the other side, the Indians bullpen has a disappointing 4.79 ERA and 4.93 FIP in the last two weeks of action.

Pick: Go over 9.0 runs at -125