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Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees MLB Preview & Free Betting Pick

Minnesota Twins vs N.Y. Yankees MLB Betting Preview

A few years ago this would have been a battle of two division leaders, but the Twins have fallen on hard times the last couple years.

Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees MLB Betting Preview
Starting Pitchers: Minnesota (Liriano) vs. New York (Sabathia)
Date/Time: April 17, 7:05 p.m. EST on ESPN
MLB Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
Moneyline: Yankees (-230) Twins (+190)
Runline: Yankees -1.5 (-105) Twins +1.5 (-115)
Total: 8.5

Matchup | Preview

The Yankees are 5-4 and in the thick of things in the AL East, but the Twins are already 2-7 and four games out of first place in the AL Central. The Yankees send their ace to the hill on Tuesday night.

Francisco Liriano is a huge unknown at this point. Liriano was amazing during Spring Training, so the team had high hopes for this season. Through his first two regular season starts he has been hit very hard. Liriano has a 2.22 WHIP and an ERA of 10.00. He has five walks and only six strikeouts in nine innings of work. This is a guy who has a very high upside, but the Twins need him to find his form. Minnesota badly needs some pitching help. In nine games the Twins have received just one quality start.

Josh Willingham is hitting the cover off the ball this season. Willingham already has four home runs and an on-base percentage of .519 in 2012. He could provide the team with the perfect right-handed slugger to balance out Mauer and Morneau. Denard Span is healthy and hitting the ball extremely well, and that is great news for the Twins.  [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

The Yankees started out the season with three straight losses in Tampa Bay, but they have put it back together in the last week. New York’s terrific lineup has started working on the opposing pitchers. Derek Jeter is off to a surprisingly fast start, and he leads the team with a .366 average. Four Yankees hitters have two home runs already this year. Only once in the past seven games has this team been held below five runs.

C.C. Sabathia has struggled through his first two starts of the year. Sabathia has pitched 12 innings and given up nine earned runs. Both of those starts were on the road and Sabathia has been at his best at home. The Yankees are 37-14 in Sabathia’s last 51 home starts.

The Twins are just 1-6 in Liriano’s last 7 starts against the Yankees. Look for Sabathia to get back on track and the Yankees to put several runs on the board.

Free MLB Pick: Yankees -1.5

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By Kyle Hunter

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