Twins Host Guardians on Wednesday Night With a Winning Streak on the Line

The Minnesota Twins will host the Cleveland Guardians at Target Field on Wednesday, July 8, at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Twins are riding a three-game winning streak and will want to keep it going in front of their home crowd. Both teams are near the top of the AL Central division, so this matchup has big meaning in the standings. Fans can watch the game on Twins.TV, CleGuardians.TV, or stream it live on Fubo.

The Twins come into the game with a record of 45 wins and 47 losses, putting them in third place in the AL Central. Connor Prielipp will start on the mound for Minnesota with a record of 2 wins and 5 losses this season. His ERA is 4.96, which means he gives up just under five runs per nine innings on average. Prielipp will need a strong outing to help the Twins keep their winning streak alive.

The Guardians are sitting in second place with a record of 47 wins and 45 losses. Slade Cecconi is expected to start on the mound for Cleveland, holding a record of 4 wins and 6 losses and an ERA of 4.44. Both starting pitchers have had up-and-down seasons, so the game could be decided by the bullpen or the bats.

Several key players will miss this game because of injuries. For the Twins, star outfielder Byron Buxton is on the injured list with a hip problem, and pitcher Pablo Lopez is out for a longer stretch with an elbow injury. The Guardians are missing José Ramírez, one of their top hitters, due to a hand injury. Injuries like these can change how a team plays and who steps up in big moments.

Brooks Lee and Josh Bell are two Twins hitters to keep an eye on. Lee is batting .249 with 14 home runs and 49 runs batted in, and he has stolen five bases in eight attempts. Bell has driven in 60 runs this season, ranking 12th in all of Major League Baseball. Both players will be important if the Twins want to extend their winning streak.

For the Guardians, Brayan Rocchio and Chase DeLauter have been standout hitters. Rocchio is batting .273 and has stolen 15 bases in 20 attempts, making him dangerous on the base paths. DeLauter is hitting .276 with eight home runs and 41 runs batted in so far this year. The Guardians will need both players to perform well against the Twins' pitching staff.

The Twins are listed as slight favorites to win this game according to odds from BetMGM. Minnesota's moneyline sits at -130, while Cleveland comes in as the underdog at +110. The total runs expected in the game is set at 8.5, suggesting oddsmakers think it will be a moderately high-scoring contest. Fans wanting to attend in person can find tickets on StubHub.