Saturday, May 7, 2016

U.S. Cellular Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ervin Santana vs. Chris Sale

The Minnesota Twins visit U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday to play the Chicago White Sox. The probable starters are Ervin Santana for the Twins and Chris Sale for the White Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +165 and Chicago at -175. The over/under was set at 7. The Twins have a 13-13-2 over/under record and a 12-16-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 43% of the time. The White Sox are 16-13-0 against the run line and have a 9-17-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 55% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup with a 8-20 record, including 2-12 on the road. Starting pitcher Ervin Santana has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 3.15 and a WHIP of 1.40. He has 18 strikeouts over his 20 innings pitched and he has given up 20 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.13. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.93 and they have given up 99 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .251 against the bullpen while being struck out 105 times and walking 43 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.28 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.16 batters per nine. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.51. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 257 base hits and 125 earned runs. They have allowed 35 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 92 batters and struck out 226. They walk 3.3 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.40 and their FIP as a unit is 4.27.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .242, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .228 average away from home. The Twins hold a .382 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 15th in baseball with 8.32 hits per game. Joe Mauer comes into this game hitting .323 and his on-base percentage is at .447. He has 32 hits this season along with 10 runs scored and 9 runs batted in. He's struck out 11 times and has walked 22 times. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .379 and he has an on-base percentage of .425. He has totaled 25 hits so far while scoring 11 runs and he's driven in 10. He has walked 3 times and has struck out 11 times. The Twins have 233 hits, including 50 doubles and 25 home runs. They've stolen 17 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 6 times. Minnesota has walked 91 times this season and they've struck out 249 times as a unit. They've left 209 men on base and have a team OPS of .692. They score 3.54 runs per contest and have scored a total of 99 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 7-5 home record and a 19-10 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.66, Chris Sale has a 6-0 record and a 0.81 WHIP. He has 38 strikeouts over the 43.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 26 hits. He has allowed 5.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.92. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.00 and they have given up 59 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .202 against the White Sox bullpen while being struck out 71 times and walking 28 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 7.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.74 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 2.83. The White Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 218 base knocks and 81 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 22 home runs this year and they give up 0.8 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 83 hitters and struck out 222. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.17 while their FIP as a staff is 3.51.

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .212 average at home. The White Sox hold a .378 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 7.86 hits per contest. Adam Eaton comes into this matchup batting .294 and he has an OBP of .376. He has 32 hits this year along with 12 runs scored and 6 RBI. He's struck out 15 times and has walked on 11 occasions. Melky Cabrera is hitting .292 and he has an OBP of .364. He has collected 31 hits so far while he's scored 15 runs and drove in 8. He has earned a walk 12 times and has punched out 8 times. The White Sox as a unit have 228 base hits, including 40 doubles and 27 homers. They have 11 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 8 times. Chicago as a team has walked 99 times this year and they have struck out 210 times. They've had 201 men left on base and have an OPS of .693. They score 3.83 runs per game and have totaled 111 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 13-13-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 12-16-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The Chicago White Sox are 9-17-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago White Sox are 16-13-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

04/27/16 P Ervin Santana Back 15-day DL (4/20), expected to be activated & start Saturday vs. Chicago White Sox
04/27/16 P Kyle Gibson Shoulder 15-day DL (4/23)
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 15-day DL (4/11)

Chicago White Sox

05/06/16 P Jacob Petricka Hip 15-day DL (5/2)
04/27/16 C Kevan Smith Pelvis 15-day DL (4/24)
04/24/16 C Alex Avila Hamstring 15-day DL (4/24)

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins

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