Minnesota Twins vs Philadelphia Phillies: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

When: Friday, April 5th at 7:05 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Twins TV: FS North, Phillies TV: NBCSPH, Twins Radio: WCCO 830 AM, Phillies Radio: WIP 94.1 FM

Team Notes

Minnesota Twins (4-1)

Coming off a two-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals, the new look Twins are sitting at 4-1 to open their season.

After only scoring three runs in their first two games against division-rival Cleveland, the Twins have come alive scoring a total of 21 runs in their last three games, all wins by Minnesota.

The Twins currently stand at 10-1 odds to win the American League and 20-1 to take the World Series.

Philadelphia Phillies (4-1)

The Phillies started 4-0 this season, the first time the franchise has gone undefeated in their first four games since 1915.

That was the longest any franchise in any sport had failed to go 4-0 to open their season.

After scoring four runs in the 8th inning to come back on Tuesday to take the lead against the Nationals, the Phillies gave up three in the final two innings to lose 9-8.

It was their first loss of the season.

After their terrific start, the Phillies currently are 5-1 to win the National League and 10-1 to win the World Series for the 2019 season.

Pitcher Notes

Twins: Jake Odorizzi

Odorizzi was spectacular in his first start of 2019 against the Cleveland Indians. The big right-hander pitched six innings, only allowing one earned run while striking out 11 hitters.

Last season, Odorizzi was better on the road versus his home starts, as the pitcher posted a 4.30 ERA away from Minnesota with 81 strikeouts over 83.2 innings.

• Right-handed batters hit .218 when Odorizzi pitched on the road last season.
• Left-handed home batters weren’t much better, only hitting .224 against Odorizzi.
• The Twins right-hander posted a 3.94 ERA last April over 32 innings.

Phillies: Nick Pivetta

This will be Pivetta’s second start of the season after the right-hander struggled in his opening start of 2019 against Atlanta.

Pivetta finished the day with 4.2 innings pitched with four strikeouts. The Braves tagged the Phillies pitcher for eight hits and four earned runs.

• Last season, Pivetta threw 91.1 innings at home with a 4.34 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
• Left-handed batters hit .234 in 2018 against Pivetta at Citizens Bank Park.
• Last April, Pivetta posted a 3.27 ERA over 33 innings with 34 strikeouts.

Hitter Notes

Minnesota Twins

The Twins offense has posted 24 runs in their first five games for a solid average of 4.8 runs per game in 2019.

The Twins have a stellar heart of the lineup in DH Nelson Cruz, RF Eddie Rosario, and 1B C.J.Cron, all who have considerable home run power.

Expect to see a few balls fly over the fence at Citizens Bank from both teams.

• Marwin Gonzalez is 1 for 3 lifetime against Pivetta.
• 2B Jonathan Schoop is 0 for 6 against the Phillies right-hander in his career.
• DH Nelson Cruz has never faced Pivetta before in his long career.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies put the National League on notice with four wins in their first five games.

The heralded Philly offense delivered by scoring eight or more runs in four of their five 2019 contests.

The beginning of Bryce Harper’s Phillies career could not have been better as the right fielder began the season by going 8 for 16 with three homers and five RBIs.

• Jean Segura has been terrific in his career against Odorizzi, going 6 for 13 with a homer.
• Catcher J.T. Realmuto is a lifetime 2 for 8 against the Twins righty.
• Andrew McCutchen went 0 for 3 against Odorizzi in his only game against the pitcher.

Roster Notes

Minnesota Twins

• Slugging 3B Miguel Sano is out after surgery due to suffering a heel laceration.
• CF Byron Buxton could possibly be limited in the series after crashing into a wall on Tuesday.
• RP Blake Parker has recorded the Twins’ last two saves, expect him to be closer moving forward.

Philadelphia Phillies

• Closer David Robertson has given up five hits and four earned runs in just two innings in 2019.
• Bryce Harper reached in all five plate appearances on Tuesday.
• Pitcher Aaron Nola gave up six earned runs on Tuesday to the Nats. He never gave up more than four in a start last season.

Game Odds

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