Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Mike Fiers vs. Hector Santiago

The Houston Astros head to Target Field on Tuesday to take on the Minnesota Twins. The probable pitchers are Mike Fiers for the Astros and Hector Santiago for the Twins. The opening line for this game has Houston at -116 and Minnesota at +106. The over/under is 8.5. The Astros have a 46-58-7 over/under mark and a 48-63-0 run line record, meaning they cover 43% of the time. The Twins are 59-52-0 against the run line and have a 67-38-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Astros head into this game with a 57-54 record, and they are 23-28 on the road. Starting pitcher Mike Fiers has a 7-5 record with an ERA of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.33. He has 84 strikeouts during his 116 innings pitched and he has given up 128 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 9.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.42. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.17 and they have allowed 316 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .228 against the pen while they've been struck out 407 times and walked 86 times this year. As a unit, Houston has given up 8.81 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.57 hitters per nine. They are 7th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.78. The Astros pitchers have collectively given up 993 base hits and 425 earned runs. They have allowed 114 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 301 batters and struck out 967. 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 3.66.

As a team, Houston is hitting .242, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .249 average on the road. The Astros have a .410 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .318 which is good for 19th in the league. They rank 24th in baseball with 8.29 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this game hitting .267 and his on-base percentage is at .364. He has 108 hits this season along with 53 runs scored and 70 runs batted in. He's struck out 100 times and has walked 58 times. Jose Altuve is hitting .356 and he has an on-base percentage of .423. He has totaled 155 hits so far while scoring 80 runs and he's driven in 67. He has walked 48 times and has struck out 49 times. The Astros have 920 hits, including 197 doubles and 134 home runs. They've stolen 80 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 31 times. Houston has walked 398 times this season and they've struck out 1,025 times as a unit. They've left 767 men on base and have a team OPS of .728. They score 4.35 runs per contest and have scored a total of 483 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this game with a 23-32 home mark and a 45-66 overall record. With an ERA of 4.37, Hector Santiago has a 10-5 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 111 strikeouts over the 125.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 109 hits. He has allowed 7.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.15. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.26 and they have given up 392 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .264 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 360 times and walking 119 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.99 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.39 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.85. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,095 base knocks and 532 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 154 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 291 hitters and struck out 810. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.41 while their FIP as a staff is 4.47.

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .257 average at home. The Twins hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.88 hits per contest. Eduardo Nunez comes into this matchup batting .293 and he has an OBP of .326. He has 117 hits this year along with 52 runs scored and 49 RBI. He's struck out 64 times and has walked on 18 occasions. Joe Mauer is hitting .280 and he has an OBP of .382. He has collected 107 hits so far while he's scored 57 runs and drove in 42. He has earned a walk 63 times and has punched out 70 times. The Twins as a unit have 986 base hits, including 205 doubles and 133 homers. They have 74 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 22 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 357 times this year and they have struck out 946 times. They've had 781 men left on base and have an OPS of .750. They score 4.62 runs per game and have totaled 513 runs so far this season.

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 46-58-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 48-63-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 67-38-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 59-52-0 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 Gregerso 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

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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