Atlanta Braves vs Minnesota Twins Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/18/2026

Game Time: 7:40 pm ET, Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Venue:  Target Field, Minneapolis, MN 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -132, Twins +109; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -130, Twins +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -135, Twins +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Atlanta Braves:  74-50 (1st place, NL East)

Minnesota Twins:  60-65 (3rd place, AL Central)

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Atlanta Braves:  5-5 last 10

Minnesota Twins:  4-6 last 10

The Braves are entering this series off a win and lost their 3-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 74-50 record overall and have a road record of 32-27. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Twins on Tuesday with the series opener still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 8th in the MLB with a .730 OPS. Martín Pérez is their starting pitcher on Monday while Tyler Mahle is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 4-9 with a 4.64 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 0 BB with 7 SO on 4 hits through 6 IP against the New York Mets.

The Twins are entering this series off a loss and got swept in their 3-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 60-65 record overall and have a home record of 32-31. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .726 OPS. Bailey Ober is their starting pitcher on Monday while Zebby Matthews is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 6-8 with a 5.34 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 earned runs, 1 homer, and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts on 6 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Baltimore Orioles.

The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 74-50 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East. They have been a good road team too with their 32-27 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Twins haven't looked great in their games this season with their 60-65 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL Central. They have looked better in their own ballpark though with their 32-31 home record this season. The Twins are 4-6 in their last 10 games and they have looked terrible lately, getting swept by the Phillies over the weekend with some really bad pitching. The Braves haven't looked great themselves lately, now 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they have been the more consistent team all season and will have the better pitching matchup here too. The Braves are going with Mahle in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 4-9 with a 4.64 ERA and was terrible on the Giants for most of the year, but he has looked so much better since getting traded to the Braves. His team has still lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting, but he is coming off a great start in which he gave up 1 earned run and he hasn't had a bad start with the Braves yet. The Twins are going with Matthews in this one and he hasn't looked great this season. He is 6-8 with a 5.34 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs all year. His team has been having more success with him lately, winning 3 games in a row now with him starting, but he did give up 4 earned runs in his last start and that has been a common theme for him. Look for the Braves to take advantage of this pitching matchup with the better bullpen on their side too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game. 

Braves Twins Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, August 18, 2026 (7:40 pm ET start time) is Braves 7 Twins 4.

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Atlanta Braves: 29-12 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 74-50 (+13.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 56-32 (+10.4 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 14-4 OVER as a road favorite of -125 or more.

Minnesota Twins: 16-27 (-15.8 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 212-237 (-47.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 113-112 (-27.4 units) on the moneyline in home games. 9-3 OVER against NL East opponents.

Atlanta Braves:  R. Lopez (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. R. Suarez (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. S. Strider (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Wentz (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Jimenez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Schwellenbach (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Minnesota Twins:  J. Ryan (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Glute. M. Paredes (SP) Sixty Day IL - Oblique. C. Sands (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Banda (RP) Sixty Day IL - Lat. M. Abel (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. D. Festa (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. P. Lopez (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“I think it’s been half his homers, or somewhere around there, that have either tied the game or put us ahead. He’s just a special player doing special things. I mean, off [Garcia]? That guy’s almost unhittable for lefties.” - Walt Weiss after his team’s win against the Diamondbacks in their game on Sunday. 

“That’s an extremely frustrating loss. We got walked off twice in Seattle. We got walked off in Milwaukee. And we did not play well in this series. We didn't play well at the Field of Dreams Game. We went 1-for-14 yesterday with runners in scoring position. Today, we got the lead and we were not able to add on and we did not hold. So yeah, it's very frustrating.” - Derek Shelton after his team’s loss against the Phillies in their game on Sunday. 

Drake Baldwin (L) C

Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) RF

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Mike Yastrzemski (L) LF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Dominic Smith (L) DH

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Jim Jarvis (L) SS

Trevor Larnach (L) LF

Byron Buxton (R) CF

Josh Bell (S) DH

Kody Clemens (L) 2B

Royce Lewis (R) 1B

Brooks Lee (S) 3B

Luke Keaschall (R) RF

Victor Caratini (S) C

Kaelen Culpepper (R) SS

Batting Average:  Jair Camargo (.500)

Hits:  Michael Harris (129)

Home Runs:  Matt Olson (36)

RBI:  Matt Olson (77)

Stolen Bases:  Ronald Acuña (16)

Wins:  Chris Sale (12)

Saves:  Raisel Iglesias (25)

ERA:  Hunter Stratton (0.00)

Batting Average:  Gabriel Gonzalez (.500)

Hits:  Josh Bell (112)

Home Runs:  Byron Buxton (25)

RBI:  Josh Bell (72)

Stolen Bases:  Luke Keaschall (14)

Wins:  Taj Bradley (9)

Saves:  Yoendrys Gómez (16)

ERA:  Jack Anderson (0.00)

Managers:

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)

Minnesota Twins: Derek Shelton (1st season)