Thursday, August 11, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Doug Fister vs. Jose Berrios

The Houston Astros visit Target Field on Thursday to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Doug Fister for the Astros and Jose Berrios for the Twins. The opening line for this matchup has Houston at -128 and Minnesota at +118. The over/under was set at 9. The Astros have a 47-59-7 over/under record and a 49-64-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 43% of the time. The Twins are 60-53-0 against the run line and have a 68-39-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Astros head into this matchup with a 58-55 record, including 24-29 on the road. Starting pitcher Doug Fister has a 10-7 record with an earned run average of 3.47 and a WHIP of 1.28. He has 87 strikeouts over his 135 innings pitched and he has given up 127 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.49. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.15 and they have given up 321 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the bullpen while being struck out 413 times and walking 88 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.84 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.58 batters per nine. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.78. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 1,013 base hits and 433 earned runs. They have allowed 117 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 306 batters and struck out 984. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.28 and their FIP as a unit is 3.67.

As a team, Houston is batting .242, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .249 average away from home. The Astros hold a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.28 hits per game. Carlos Correa comes into this game hitting .269 and his on-base percentage is at .364. He has 111 hits this season along with 54 runs scored and 74 runs batted in. He's struck out 100 times and has walked 58 times. Jose Altuve is hitting .361 and he has an on-base percentage of .427. He has totaled 159 hits so far while scoring 82 runs and he's driven in 68. He has walked 48 times and has struck out 49 times. The Astros have 936 hits, including 202 doubles and 135 home runs. They've stolen 82 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Houston has walked 402 times this season and they've struck out 1,040 times as a unit. They've left 775 men on base and have a team OPS of .727. They score 4.35 runs per contest and have scored a total of 491 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this matchup with a 24-33 home record and a 46-67 overall mark. With an earned run average of 8.31, Jose Berrios has a 2-2 record and a 1.69 WHIP. He has 29 strikeouts over the 26 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 31 hits. He has allowed 10.7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.13. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.23 and they have given up 397 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .264 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 363 times and walking 121 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.39 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.83. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,111 base knocks and 539 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 155 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 295 hitters and struck out 825. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.40 while their FIP as a staff is 4.45.

As a team, they are batting .257, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .258 average at home. The Twins hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.9 hits per contest. Eduardo Nunez comes into this matchup batting .291 and he has an OBP of .325. He has 118 hits this year along with 52 runs scored and 49 RBI. He's struck out 64 times and has walked on 19 occasions. Joe Mauer is hitting .279 and he has an OBP of .381. He has collected 109 hits so far while he's scored 57 runs and drove in 42. He has earned a walk 64 times and has punched out 72 times. The Twins as a unit have 1,006 base hits, including 209 doubles and 136 homers. They have 74 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 23 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 362 times this year and they have struck out 963 times. They've had 795 men left on base and have an OPS of .751. They score 4.61 runs per game and have totaled 521 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 47-59-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 49-64-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 68-39-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 60-53-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Houston Astros

08/07/16 LF Colby Rasmus Ear 15-day DL (8/5)
08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow 15-day DL (8/2)
08/02/16 P Luke Gregerson Oblique 15-day DL (7/28)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Minnesota Twins

06/10/16 P Phil Hughes Knee 60-day DL (6/10); out for season
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

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