Saturday, July 23, 2016

Fenway Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ricky Nolasco vs. David Price

The Minnesota Twins head to Fenway Park on Saturday to take on the Boston Red Sox. The probable pitchers are Ricky Nolasco for the Twins and David Price for the Red Sox. The opening line for this game has Minnesota at +242 and Boston at -265. The over/under is 9.5. The Twins have a 55-34-6 over/under mark and a 48-47-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Red Sox are 49-44-0 against the run line and have a 49-39-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Twins head into this game with a 35-60 record, and they are 15-31 on the road. Starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco has a 4-8 record with an ERA of 5.02 and a WHIP of 1.35. He has 85 strikeouts during his 114.2 innings pitched and he has given up 130 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 10.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.16. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.48 and they have allowed 341 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .270 against the pen while they've been struck out 312 times and walked 101 times this year. As a unit, Minnesota has given up 10.03 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.42 hitters per nine. They are 28th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.93. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 938 base hits and 461 earned runs. They have allowed 128 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 257 batters and struck out 694. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.42 and their FIP as a unit is 4.46.

As a team, Minnesota is hitting .248, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .239 average on the road. The Twins have a .411 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .314 which is good for 22nd in the league. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.52 hits per contest. Eduardo Nunez comes into this game hitting .305 and his on-base percentage is at .332. He has 105 hits this season along with 48 runs scored and 43 runs batted in. He's struck out 49 times and has walked 13 times. Joe Mauer is hitting .264 and he has an on-base percentage of .365. He has totaled 88 hits so far while scoring 46 runs and he's driven in 30. He has walked 53 times and has struck out 62 times. The Twins have 809 hits, including 164 doubles and 111 home runs. They've stolen 62 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. Minnesota has walked 297 times this season and they've struck out 809 times as a unit. They've left 657 men on base and have a team OPS of .726. They score 4.37 runs per contest and have scored a total of 415 runs so far this year.

Boston comes into this game with a 33-20 home mark and a 54-39 overall record. With an ERA of 4.36, David Price has a 9-7 record and a 1.23 WHIP. He has 141 strikeouts over the 130 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 132 hits. He has allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.39. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.74 and they have given up 247 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .230 against the Red Sox bullpen while being struck out 310 times and walking 110 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.45 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.32. The Red Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 803 base knocks and 399 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 109 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a staff has walked 294 hitters and struck out 780. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.32 while their FIP as a staff is 4.21.

As a team, they are batting .291, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .306 average at home. The Red Sox hold a .479 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.33 hits per contest. Mookie Betts comes into this matchup batting .306 and he has an OBP of .345. He has 126 hits this year along with 78 runs scored and 62 RBI. He's struck out 58 times and has walked on 25 occasions. Xander Bogaerts is hitting .324 and he has an OBP of .380. He has collected 124 hits so far while he's scored 71 runs and drove in 61. He has earned a walk 34 times and has punched out 62 times. The Red Sox as a unit have 961 base hits, including 226 doubles and 118 homers. They have 60 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 10 times. Boston as a team has walked 324 times this year and they have struck out 656 times. They've had 693 men left on base and have an OPS of .836. They score 5.69 runs per game and have totaled 529 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 55-34-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 48-47-0 against the run line so far this season

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 49-39-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 49-44-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

07/04/16 3B Trevor Plouffe Ribs 15-day DL (7/1)
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

Boston Red Sox

07/20/16 P Koji Uehara Pectoral 15-day DL
07/15/16 P Junichi Tazawa Shoulder 15-day DL (7/4)
07/10/16 P Sean O'Sullivan Knee 15-day DL (7/10)
07/09/16 P Craig Kimbrel Knee 15-day DL (7/7)
06/24/16 LF Chris Young Hamstring 15-day DL (6/23)
06/17/16 2B Josh Rutledge Knee 60-day DL (6/15)
06/07/16 P Carson Smith Elbow 60-day DL (5/15)
06/06/16 C Blake Swihart Ankle 60-day DL (6/5)
05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Red Sox

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink