Saturday, July 18, 2015

O.co Coliseum

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Phil Hughes (8-6) vs. Scott Kazmir (5-5)

The Minnesota Twins visit O.co Coliseum on Saturday to play the Oakland Athletics. The Twins send Phil Hughes to the mound to face Scott Kazmir of the Athletics. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +146 and Oakland at -156. The over/under was set at 7. The Twins, with a 57-32 run line record, cover the spread 64% of the time. They also have a 40-42 over/under record. The Athletics have a 47-37 over/under record and a 44-47 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 48% of the time.

The Twins show up with a 49-40 record, including 18-24 on the road. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes holds a 8-6 record with an earned run average of 4.32 and a WHIP of 1.25. In his starts, the Twins are 10-8 over his 116.2 innings pitched this season while giving up 135 hits during those innings. Against the over/under, the Twins are 9-8 in his starts. The team is averaging 4.4 runs when he starts. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.71 and they have given up 259 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .252 against the Twins bullpen while walking 80 times and striking out 180 times. Minnesota is averaging 6.12 strikeouts per game while getting 9.37 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 15th in baseball in team earned run average at 3.81.

Minnesota is batting .254 as a team, which is good for 15th in the league and hitting .227 away from home. The Twins hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 21st in baseball. Brian Dozier leads the team in hits with 89 while the team ranks 17th in baseball with 8.47 hits per game.

Oakland is 18-26 at home while holding a 41-50 overall record on the season. With an earned run average of 2.49, Scott Kazmir will come into this game holding a 5-5 record and a 1.12 WHIP. In his starts, the Athletics are 7-10 and he has allowed 79 hits over 101.1 innings pitched this season. Against the over/under, the Athletics are 9-7 when he starts. The team is averaging 4.1 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.32 and they have given up 227 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .236 against the Athletics bullpen while walking 95 times and striking out 245 times. Oakland is averaging 7.59 strikeouts per game while getting 8.01 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.42.

They are batting .256 as a team, which is good for 10th in the league and hitting .267 at home. The Athletics hold a .392 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317 which is good for 15th in baseball. Brett Lawrie leads the team in hits with 87 while the team ranks 9th in baseball with 8.82 hits a game.

Minnesota has a team fielding percentage of .986 after having committed 47 errors with 927 assists and 2,369 put outs for the season. The Athletics have committed 82 errors on the season with 903 assists and 2,418 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .976 on the year.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 40-42 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 57-32 against the run line so far this season

Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 47-37 against the over/under so far this season

The Oakland Athletics are 44-47 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

06/26/15 CF Byron Buxton Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/25)
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)

Oakland Athletics

07/11/15 P Jesse Hahn Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/6)
07/08/15 P Scott Kazmir Tricep left last game, "?" next start
06/14/15 P Pat Venditte Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/11)
05/30/15 P Sean Doolittle Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/28)
05/23/15 CF Coco Crisp Neck Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/21)
05/23/15 2B Tyler Ladendorf Ankle Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/22)
04/05/15 P Jarrod Parker Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)
04/05/15 P Sean Nolin Abdominal Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/4)
04/04/15 P Taylor Thompson Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (2/26)

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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