Saturday, September 5, 2015

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ervin Santana (3-4) vs. Lance McCullers (5-5)

The Minnesota Twins visit Minute Maid Park on Saturday to play the Houston Astros. The Twins send Ervin Santana to the mound to face Lance McCullers of the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +160 and Houston at -170. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Twins, with a 80-53 run line record, cover the spread 60% of the time. They also have a 63-62 over/under record. The Astros have a 60-69 over/under record and a 72-62 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 54% of the time.

The Twins show up with a 69-64 record, including 27-38 on the road. Ervin Santana has an earned run average of 5.40 and is 3-4 so far on the season while having a 1.46 WHIP. The Twins are 5-6 over his 65 innings pitched and he's also given up 73 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 6-5. He is getting 4.8 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 403 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 4.03. Opposing teams are hitting .250 against the Twins bullpen while walking 133 times and striking out 307 times. Minnesota is averaging 6.27 strikeouts per game while getting 9.5 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 21st in baseball in team earned run average at 4.15.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .249, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .230 average away from home. The Twins on-base percentage sits at .303, which puts them at 29th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .401. Joe Mauer leads the team in hits with 131 while the team ranks 26th in baseball with 8.35 hits per game.

Houston is 46-23 at home while holding a 73-61 overall record on the season. Lance McCullers is starting this game 5-5 for the season with an earned run average of 3.21 and a WHIP of 1.22. The Astros have a record of 7-9 over the 89.2 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 77 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 7-6. He is getting 4.2 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 287 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 2.81. Opposing teams are hitting .203 against the Astros bullpen while walking 114 times and striking out 384 times. Houston is averaging 7.85 strikeouts per game while getting 7.97 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 3rd in the league in team earned run average at 3.36.

As a team, they are batting .242, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .246 average at home. The Astros on-base percentage sits at .308, which puts them at 21st in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .420. Jose Altuve leads the team in hits with 163 while the team ranks 30th in baseball with 8.12 hits a game.

In terms of team defense, the Twins have a fielding percentage of .986 with 70 total errors, 1,339 assists and 3,537 put outs. The Astros have committed 65 errors on the season with 1,379 assists and 3,596 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .987 on the year.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 63-62 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 80-53 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 60-69 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 72-62 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

09/04/15 3B Miguel Sano Hamstring missed last game, probable Friday vs. Houston Astros
09/03/15 P Glen Perkins Back out indefinitely
08/26/15 P J.R. Graham Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/26)
08/13/15 P Phil Hughes Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/10)
06/04/15 P Ricky Nolasco Ankle Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (6/1)
05/16/15 CF Jordan Schafer Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/16)

Houston Astros

09/02/15 P Scott Feldman Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start
08/30/15 C Jason Castro Quad Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/29)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/14), out for season
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Hip Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/14); out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

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