If the MLB season was only one month, Minnesota Twins right-hander Sonny Gray would be right in the thick of the AL Cy Young discussion, but he had a bit of a hiccup his last time out. Gray will have a chance to rebound on Friday night when the Twins welcome the Chicago Cubs to town for an early interleague series. The game will be aired to a national audience on Apple TV, giving the matchup a bit more betting intrigue. Bettors looking for the best Cubs-Twins MLB bet should take this bet on the total. Readers can also check out OddsShopper tools, including the Parlay Builder, to find the best MLB value all season long!
Best Cubs-Twins MLB Bet: Follow the Recent Trends From Drew Smyly & Sonny Gray
Sonny Gray has been a successful pitcher for a long time, and he has been in phenomenal form to start his 2023 campaign. The 33-year-old is 4-0 with an MLB-best 1.35 ERA in his first five starts. But Gray had his worst start of the season his last time out, allowing three runs in five innings against the Cleveland Guardians. He will now look to bounce back against a Cubs offense that seems to have found some answers for their recent woes with a 10-run outburst against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday.
The Cubs will turn to veteran left-hander Drew Smyly who has also had a strong start to his season. But like Gray, Smyly also struggled his last time out. He was pulled after just 3.1 innings of work against the Miami Marlins after struggling with his command and letting the pitch count get away from him.
Smyly will now go up against a Twins lineup that has struggled some to start the season but showed signs of life week when taking the series against the San Diego Padres this week. Centered around right-handed stars Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, the Twins should have a good opportunity to string together some hits against a pitch-to-contact left-hander in Smyly.
While the Smyly-Gray matchup might profile as a pitcher’s duel paper, the smart move is to follow the recent trends and take the over on this low line.
Best Cubs-Twins MLB Bets: Over 8 Runs (-105 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
