Atlanta Braves vs Minnesota Twins Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/19/2026

Game Time: 1:40 pm ET, Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Venue:  Target Field, Minneapolis, MN 

Where to Watch:  ESPN Unlimited, MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -115, Twins -105; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -115, Twins -105; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Braves -115, Twins -105; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Atlanta Braves:  74-51 (1st place, NL East)

Minnesota Twins:  61-65 (3rd place, AL Central)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Matt Fargo is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 12-4 MLB RUN for +$12,370 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Atlanta Braves:  4-6 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 74-51 record overall and have a road record of 32-28. This is the series finale of a 3-game series with the Twins on Wednesday with the 2nd game still to be played on Tuesday. The Braves lost the series opener on Monday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .728 OPS. Tyler Mahle is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while AJ Smith-Shawver is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA this season. His team lost their only game this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 2 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 4 SO on 4 hits through 4.1 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 61-65 record overall and have a home record of 33-31. This is the 3rd game of a 3-game series with the Braves on Wednesday with the 2nd game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. The Twins won the 1st game of this series on Monday. Their offense ranks 13th in the MLB with a .725 OPS. Zebby Matthews is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Taj Bradley is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 9-5 with a 3.98 ERA this season. His team lost their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 5 earned runs, 2 homers, and 4 walks with 3 strikeouts on 7 hits through 4 innings pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The current betting odds have the Braves listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Braves have looked great in their games this season with their 74-51 record overall which has them right at the top of the NL East. They have been a good road team too with their 32-28 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Twins haven't looked great in their games this season with their 61-65 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL Central. They have looked better in their own ballpark though with their 33-31 home record this season. The Braves are 4-6 in their last 10 games and they haven't looked great lately, but the Twins haven't looked any better either. The Twins are 4-6 in their last 10 games too and the Braves are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Braves are going with Smith-Shawver in this one and he looked good in his first start of the season. He gave up 2 earned runs and his team lost the game, but the bullpen has also been pitching really well for the Braves. The Twins are going with Bradley in this one and he has looked good this season. He is 9-5 with a 3.98 ERA, but lately he hasn't looked that great. He is coming off a bad start in which he gave up 5 earned runs and the team has been having trouble with him lately too, losing 3 games in a row now with him starting. The Braves also have the better bullpen to lean on here, so look for the Braves to take advantage of this pitching matchup. The best way to place a bet here is on the Braves to win this game. 

Braves Twins Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 19, 2026 (1:40 pm ET start time) is Braves 5 Twins 3.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Atlanta Braves Minnesota Twins prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Atlanta Braves: 29-13 (+9.4 units) on the moneyline against AL Central opponents. 74-51 (+11.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 56-33 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 17-11 OVER as a road favorite of -110 or higher.

Minnesota Twins: 17-27 (-14.6 units) on the moneyline against NL East opponents. 213-237 (-46.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 114-112 (-26.2 units) on the moneyline in home games. 9-4 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:  A. Martin (RF) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. 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.

“Tough first [inning] -- didn't have his typical command. I think he started leaning on the two-seamer after that and got through five, which was nice considering that first inning." - Walt Weiss after his team’s loss against the Twins in their game on Monday. 

“Against left-handers, we may, just because A-Mart is down. I think as we talked about in the pregame, he’s had our most consistent at-bats. Depending on what we do with our lineup moving forward, I think there could be opportunities there.” - Derek Shelton after his team’s win against the Braves in their game on Monday. 

Drake Baldwin (L) C

Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) DH

Matt Olson (L) 1B

Michael Harris II (L) CF

Mauricio Dubón (R) LF

Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

Mike Yastrzemski (L) RF

Austin Riley (R) 3B

Jim Jarvis (L) SS

Luke Keaschall (R) RF

Byron Buxton (R) CF

Ryan Jeffers (R) C

Josh Bell (S) DH

Royce Lewis (R) 1B

Kody Clemens (L) 2B

Brooks Lee (S) 3B

Kaelen Culpepper (R) SS

Alan Roden (L) LF

Batting Average:  Jair Camargo (.500)

Hits:  Michael Harris (130)

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 (114)

Home Runs:  Byron Buxton (25)

RBI:  Josh Bell (74)

Stolen Bases:  Luke Keaschall (14)

Wins:  Taj Bradley (9)

Saves:  Yoendrys Gómez (17)

ERA:  Jack Anderson (0.00)

Managers:

Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss (1st season)

Minnesota Twins: Derek Shelton (1st season)