MLB betting: Twins vs. Brewers odds, pick, predictions for Tuesday 4/2

Twins vs. Brewers Odds

Tuesday, April 2, 4:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV

Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute MLB odds here.

Minnesota Twins

The Twins managed to win their first series despite losing breakout shortstop Royce Lewis to an injury in the first game. The former No. 1 overall pick just can't catch a break as he's yet to play a full MLB season and always seems to suffer unfortunate injuries. His absence removes some firepower from Minnesota's lineup, though the Twins still have some exciting players.

Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa will dictate whether the Twins offense will succeed. The toosly Buxton hit a pair of doubles and had a .900 OPS in the series against Kansas City. When healthy, Buxton is one of the scariest hitters in the sport. Additionally, Correa cashed in a hefty payday last season and posted a .734 OPS. He also went 3-for-11 in the first series of the season.

This pitching matchup is painfully mediocre as Louie Varland, who cracked the rotation despite posting an ERA north of 6.00 in Spring Training, will start for the Twins. Varland can throw strikes and posted a 2.25 BB/9 ratio over 68 innings last season. However, he ranks in the bottom-10 percentile in both barrel and hard-hit percentage.

Don't expect Varland to give a ton of length, which will force the Twins to hand the ball to a fairly depleted bullpen.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers stole the headlines over baseball's opening weekend. First, winning three games against the Mets is no small feat. Also, Rhys Hoskins feuded with the Mets on Opening Day, which set the tone for the rest of the series and seemingly gave the Brewers an edge.

I don't think Milwaukee's hot start is a facade. The lineup is pretty fearsome and No. 1 overall prospect Jackson Chourio didn't look scared in his first MLB action. In fact, he hit over .400 in his first three games. Plus, is the MVP version of Christian Yelich back? He's hitting .455 early in the season and getting offensive production from Hoskins, William Contreras and Sal Frelick also helps.

The Brewers rotation isn't a strength this year as Brandon Woodruff is on the 60-day IL and Corbin Burnes is now pitching in Baltimore. Among the unknowns is free-agent signee Jakob Junis, who pitched 40 games for the Giants, but only started four. Junis excels at striking hitters out (73rd percentile) and limiting walks (87th percentile), but we don't know if he can keep those same rates in a starting role.

Twins vs. Brewers

Betting Pick & Prediction

The lack of strong pitching lends some value to the over, especially with both bullpens missing key pieces.

The Twins scored four or more runs in two of three games against Kansas City, while Milwaukee tallied four or more in two of three against the Mets. Expect both offenses to stay hot on Tuesday afternoon.

Pick: Over 8.5 Runs