MLB Picks: Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is a career .323 hitter against the Minnesota Twins, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Friday, as the two teams open up a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.

Courtesy of SBR Forum, the Yankees are minus-177 home favorites in the pro baseball odds, with the total sitting at 8.5 in the market.

Let's take a closer look at this American League matchup from a betting perspective, while offering up a prediction along the way.

Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are 1-6 on their current 10-game road trip, which includes a 4-3 setback to the Tampa Bay Rays as plus-208 underdogs Thursday.

Twins starting pitcher Scott Diamond is 5-8 with a 5.52 ERA in 16 starts this season.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have won two games in a row, including an 8-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals as minus-117 home favorites Thursday.

Yankees starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda is 5-2 with a 1.89 ERA in nine home starts in 2013, with opposing hitters batting just .213 against him in that situation.

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the New York Yankees as one of their MLB picks Friday, as the Minnesota Twins are 2-12 in their last 14 road games versus a team with a winning record.

MLB Pick: New York Yankees minus-177

Follow on Twitter: @JeffGrantSports