The set-up: The Minnesota Twins have not had a typical April. Minnesota saw four games postponed due to poor weather between April 8-15 and followed that up with a two-game series as the home team in San Juan, Puerto Rico vs. the Indians. Through it all, the Twins open a three-game series in Florida against the Tampa Bays Rays having won four of their last five games and with an overall record of 8-5.
Minnesota welcomed Thursday's off day, after the team used eight pitchers in a 2-1, 16-inning victory over Cleveland on Wednesday to split the series in San Juan and remain atop the American League Central (Cleveland is 9-7). Minnesota has won early with pitching (team ERA of 3.05 is fifth-best in baseball) and opponents are hitting just .214 against them, the fourth-lowest average in the league. The Twins are not overpowering but their 121 strikeouts are second-fewest in the majors. The Rays welcome the Twins to Tropicana Field with just a 5-13 record but the good news is, Tampa Bay no longer has the worst record in the AL after winning two of three from Texas to start the week. The Rays have pushed through key injuries but have gone only 2-7 in one-run games and have seen their bullpen take seven losses through the team's first 18 games.

The pitching matchup: Lance Lynn (0-1, 5.00 ERA) will get the ball for Minnesota and Chris Archer (1-1, 7.84 ERA) goes for the Rays. Lynn was scheduled to make his third start of 2018 last Saturday, but weather postponements forced a reshuffling of the rotation and he finally gets a chance to get back on the mound in tonight's contest. The former Cardinal was pounded in his Twins debut (4 IP / 3 hits / 6 walks / 5 ERs) before limiting Houston to three hits and four walks over five scoreless innings with nine strikeouts on April 9. Lynn is 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA in three appearances (two starts) versus the Rays. Archer is considered Tampa Bay's ace but he has yet to post a quality start or complete more than six innings in his first four trips to the mound. What's more, he is coming off his worst performance. The two-time All Star recently gave up six runs in the second inning this past Saturday and ended up allowing seven over four innings with just two strikeouts in a 9-4 home loss to Philadelphia.

The pick: The good news here for Minnesota is that this game (and the weekend series) is indoors and safely away from snow and any other potential obstacles. The bad news is that Archer has been dominant against Minnesota in his career with a 6-1 record and 1.84 ERA. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash wants another series, after the Rays earned one over teh Rangers to open the week. "We have to own the fact that we're whatever our record is right now," Cash said after Wednesday's win. "We also can be somewhat satisfied that we are playing hard. It just hasn't gone our way." It"goes the Rays' way" tonight! Make Tampa Bay a 10* play.