Twins vs. Blue Jays Wild Card Series Preview

The MLB's 162-game regular season finally wrapped up over the weekend, meaning the playoffs are set. Four Wild Card matchups will begin on Tuesday, and, if needed, any Game 3s will take place on Thursday.

The No. 3 Minnesota Twins against the No. 6 Toronto Blue Jays could be one of the most intriguing Wild Card matchups. The Twins have caught fire at the perfect time with an 8-3 record in their last 11 games. The Blue Jays emerged from the brutal American League East, earning the final Wild Card spot.

It's beyond baseball for the Twins here. Minnesota has the longest postseason losing streak in American professional sports with 18 consecutive losses. On the other side, Toronto is chasing its first playoff series win since 2016.

Let's check out various lines and stats for the upcoming Twins-Blue Jays series.

All MLB odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Twins vs. Blue Jays Wild Card Series: Moneyline, Totals Games, and Correct Score

Series Moneyline:

• Twins: -124
• Blue Jays: +102

Total Games:

• 2 (-114)
• 3 (-105)

Correct Score:

• Twins 2-0 (+220)
• Twins 2-1 (+270)
• Blue Jays 2-0 (+290)
• Blue Jays 2-1 (+290)

Twins vs. Blue Jays Advanced Stats Breakdown

nERD via numberFire. Advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs.

Twins:

• W-L Record: 87-75 (11th)
• Run Differential: +119 (7th)
• Home Record: 47-34
• Away Record: 40-41
• nERD: 1.10 (4th)
• Offensive Stats:
  • HRs: 233 (3rd)
  • wOBA: .327 (7th)
  • SLG: .427 (7th)
  • BB%: 9.6% (4th)
  • K%: 26.6% (Worst)
• Pitching Stats:
  • SIERA: 3.77 (1st)
  • xFIP: 3.94 (3rd)
  • K%: 25.9% (1st)
  • BB%: 7.3% (4th-best)

Blue Jays:

• W-L Record: 89-73 (9th)
• Run Differential: +75 (13th)
• Home Record: 43-38
• Away Record: 46-35
• nERD: 0.70 (12th)
• Offensive Stats:
  • HRs: 188 (16th)
  • wOBA: .324 (10th)
  • SLG: .417 (13th)
  • BB%: 8.8% (12th)
  • K%: 20.9% (6th-best)
• Pitching Stats:
  • SIERA: 3.93 (5th)
  • xFIP: 4.03 (6th)
  • K%: 25.0% (3rd)
  • BB%: 8.0% (9th-best)

Twins vs. Blue Jays Wild Card Series Analysis

The Twins, who have 11th-best record in baseball, were fortunate to be in the weak AL Central. In fact, the Seattle Mariners fell short of the final AL wild card spot with an 88-74 finish. However, Minnesota now looks the part of a playoff squad. They have won five consecutive series to close the season while holding opponents to 3.7 runs per game over their last 10 contests.

Toronto has not been as successful in recent games with a 4-6 record in their last 10 games, and they come off back-to-back series losses.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB World Series odds, both teams could be long shots to make a deep run. The Blue Jays are +2000 to win the World Series, and the Twins are +1700. Both marks are among the top-six longest odds.

As the stats suggest, we could be in store for a pitching extravaganza. Both squads are among the top five in skill-interactive earned run average (SIERA) and in the top three of strikeout percentage (K%). The under for game lines and strikeout props could be some of the most popular bets for the Twins-Blue Jays.

FanDuel's MLB odds have Minnesota tabbed as the favorite for Game 1 (-116) paired with a projected total of 7.5. Pablo Lopez will toe the slab for the home side, and Kevin Gausman will take the bump for the visiting Jays, so -- to no surprise -- we're dealing aces right out of the gate.

Minnesota has the worst strikeout rate among batting orders and averaged 12.5 strikeouts over their final two games against the lowly Colorado Rockies.

On the flip side, the Twins have hit multiple long balls in 5 of the last 7 games while the Blue Jays have surrendered at least one homer in 10 of their last 11 games, so The Twins' ability to avoid strikeouts and launch home runs could be the two key X-factors in this highly anticipated series.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.