This afternoon at Target Field, the Minnesota Twins (6-6) look to complete a four-game sweep of their AL Central rivals, the Detroit Tigers (4-8).
The Twins are riding a three-game winning streak, their longest of the young season. They jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning last night and held on for an eventual 8-6 win. Off to a slow start this season, Byron Buxton showed signs of life yesterday collecting three hits to lead a Twins’ attack that collected a total of 11 hits in the win. Framber Valdez suffered his first loss as a Tiger giving up all eight runs over five innings of work.
While the pitching failed them yesterday, Detroit’s issues most nights have revolved around their offense. The Tigers have struggled to hit consistently. They are hitting a collective .239 for the season. They will look to Jack Flaherty (0-1, 7.56 ERA) to salvage the final game of the series for them. Mick Abel (0-2, 11.05 ERA) is expected to start for the Twins, looking to find his footing after a tough start to the 2026 season.
The Total for this game is set at 8 runs with the expectation these two pitchers will serve up opportunities to the opposing hitters but it is expected to be another chilly afternoon at Target Field which typically hinders offenses.
Lets dive into this afternoon’s matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game Details and How to Watch: Tigers vs. Twins
- Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
- Time: 1:40PM EST
- Site: Target Field
- City: Minneapolis, MN
- Network/Streaming: MLB.TV, Tigers.TV, Twins.TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Latest Odds: Tigers vs. Twins
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Tigers (-136), Twins (+113)
- Spread: Tigers -1.5 (+123) / Twins +1.5 (-149)
- Total: 8.0 runs
Probable Starting Pitchers: Tigers vs. Twins
Pitching matchup for April 9:
- Tigers: Jack Flaherty
Season Totals: 8.1 IP, 0-1, 7.56 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 8K, 8 BB - Twins: Mick Abel
Season Totals: 7.1 IP, 0-2, 11.05 ERA, 2.86 WHIP, 7K, 7 BB
Who’s Hot? Who’s Not! Tigers vs. Twins
- With his 3 hits yesterday, Byron Buxton is now hitting .214 this season
- Victor Caratini is riding a modest 3-game hitting streak (5-12)
- After going just 2-14 (.143) in March, Luke Keaschall is 9-34 (.265) in April
- Kevin McGonigle has hit safely in 6 of 7 games in April (8-30)
- Javy Baez is 4-7 in this series against Minnesota
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top Betting Trends & Insights: Tigers vs. Twins
- The Tigers are 4-8 on the Run Line this season
- The Twins are 7-5 on the Run Line this season
- The OVER has cashed 6 times in the Tigers’ 12 games this season (6-5-1)
- The OVER has cashed 5 times in the Twins’ 12 games (5-6-1)
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Manfred: ABS reactions ‘overwhelmingly positive’
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred joins Dan Patrick to unpack early-season storylines, including reactions to ABS challenge system implementation, labor negotiations, the future of the World Baseball Classic, and more.
Expert picks & predictions: Tigers vs. Twins
Rotoworld Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s game between the Tigers and the Twins:
- Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Tigers on the Run Line.
- Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total OVER 8.0.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
Read the full article here