Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins Prediction and Picks - Saturday, September 20, 2025
American League Central foes play a double header on Saturday, and we have Guardians vs. Twins predictions for the first game right here. Cleveland (81-71, 2nd in A.L. Central) will have LHP Logan Allen (7-11, 4.36 ERA) ready to shove in his 29th start of the year. Minnesota (66-86. 4th in A.L. Central) looks to RHP Joe Ryan (13-8, 3.35 ERA) to deliver the game’s first pitch from Target Field at 2:10 EST. Don’t go down on strikes! Get our top MLB Predictions and increase your bankroll!
(This was published prior to the conclusion of Friday’s games.)
Guardians making red-hot run
The Cleveland creep-up continues as the Guardians went into the weekend just 3.5 games back in the Central and 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card as they ride a seven-game winning streak. Pitching has been the key over the past week-plus, allowing a combined 11 runs in their win streak. In the last half month, they had a 1.45 ERA over a 13-game stretch. This season, they rank third in the American League with a 3.75 ERA. The staff also has 1,268 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP while opponents hit .241 against them. Cleveland’s starters came into this series with a 47-48 record with a 3.90 ERA. The bullpen has been one of the best in the A.L., earning 46 saves and 34 wins while posting a 3.50 ERA.
The offense has not been over-the-top during the team’s current run of form, but they’ve done admirably, hitting .252 in their last 13 games, the third-best mark in the A.L. over that stretch. They do still own the worst team batting average in the league for the season, .226, and they’ve scored 594 runs through 152 games. Jose Ramirez is tied for 14th in the league with 29 home runs and his .285 batting average ranks 11th in the league. He also leads the club with 80 RBIs and his 39 stolen bases are the third most in the league.
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Starter spotlight
- The Guardians are 13-15 when Logan Allen has pitched this season.
- He went five innings last time out, allowing one earned run and six hits while striking our two against the Royals.
- Has lasted five innings in 16 of his last 17 starts.
- Opponents are hitting .266 against the left-hander, with 18 home runs and 59 walks.
- Allen is 2-0 with a 2.61 ERA in four career starts against the Twins.
Twins look to play spoiler
The Twins have long since been out of it, but now look to play spoiler heading into the week and a half of their season. They came into this series having lost four of their last five games and are in the midst of a 2-4 homestand, which concludes with this series. Pitching has been getting bopped around of late, with a 5.87 ERA over their last five games. They are 13th in the American League with a 4.65 ERA through 152 games, coupled with a 1.34 WHIP. The staff has recorded 1,278 strikeouts, but opponents are hitting .260 against them. Starters entered this series with a record of 41-48 and an ERA of 4.64, 13th in the league. Relievers have locked down 27 saves, 25 wins and posted a 4.68 ERA, 14th in the league.
From the hitting department, runs have been there, with the team putting up 36 runs over their last six games before this series. They had a .261 batting average over the past week and on the year, the team is 10th in the American League with a .240 batting average. They’ve scored 653 runs over 152 games, eighth in the league. Byron Buxton has been the most consistent hitter on the club, leading the group with a .270 batting average, 31 home runs and 76 RBIs. He is 13th in the league with 24 stolen bases.
Stater spotlight
- This will be the 30th start of the year for Joe Ryan and the team is 14-15 when he goes.
- He did not get a decision in his last outing after allowing two runs, four hits and two walks over four innings against Arizona.
- In his last two games, the 29-year-old allowed a combined seven runs, two homers, six walks and only struck out six batters.
- He’s allowed 21 home runs, and 36 walks and teams are hitting .215 against him.
- Lifetime, Ryan is 3-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 11 games against Cleveland.
Guardians vs. Twins Picks
Spread Pick for Guardians vs. Twins
- Guardians +100 (5 units)
These two last linked up at the beginning of August in a three-game set that saw the Guardians win twice. This pitching matchup puts the odds slightly in Minnesota’s favor, and it may have been more had it not been for Ryan stumbling towards the finish line. Although he has had a great season all around, he’s also given up a combined 18 earned runs, five home runs and nine walks over his last five efforts. He’s only lasted four innings or less in three of those efforts. Everything just seems to be off with him, compared to where he was earlier in the year, and with nothing on the line for the club, I don’t expect a lot here. His counterpart, Allen, hasn’t fared particularly well lately, but has done enough to give his team at least five innings before handing things to their stellar bullpen. That’s where the Guardians take over games like this. Cleveland has dominated the season series - 6-2 heading into Friday - and with their current run, I would not pick against them.
Take the Guardians.
Over/Under Pick for Guardians vs. Twins
- Over 7 (5 units)
This is a particularly small total, likely given the pitching matchup, but noted in the above slot, these two aren’t the horses we might be expecting. Of course, Cleveland’s bullpen is something we need to think about when looking at runs but given the way the Twins bats have been going of late, I think they can get at least a few off Allen before they get shut down by their relievers. On the other end, Cleveland’s offense does enough to match the efforts of their pitchers, so they’ll need to get more than a few runs on the board. They’ve scored four runs or more in two of their last three games. The over is 3-2 in the last five games between the teams.
Take the over.
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