Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Phil Hughes vs. Mike Fiers

The Minnesota Twins visit Minute Maid Park on Wednesday to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Phil Hughes for the Twins and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +115 and Houston at -125. The over/under was set at 8. The Twins have a 11-13-2 over/under record and a 12-14-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 46% of the time. The Astros are 8-18-0 against the run line and have a 14-10-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 31% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup with a 8-18 record, including 2-10 on the road. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes has a 1-4 record with an earned run average of 4.45 and a WHIP of 1.25. He has 21 strikeouts over his 30.1 innings pitched and he has given up 32 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.57. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.12 and they have given up 89 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .255 against the bullpen while being struck out 95 times and walking 37 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.18 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.14 batters per nine. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 3.97. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 238 base hits and 103 earned runs. They have allowed 30 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 81 batters and struck out 211. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.37 and their FIP as a unit is 4.06.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .243, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .228 average away from home. The Twins hold a .381 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .313 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.35 hits per game. Joe Mauer comes into this game hitting .326 and his on-base percentage is at .452. He has 30 hits this season along with 10 runs scored and 8 runs batted in. He's struck out 9 times and has walked 21 times. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .371 and he has an on-base percentage of .420. He has totaled 23 hits so far while scoring 10 runs and he's driven in 10. He has walked 3 times and has struck out 11 times. The Twins have 217 hits, including 48 doubles and 22 home runs. They've stolen 15 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 6 times. Minnesota has walked 87 times this season and they've struck out 235 times as a unit. They've left 198 men on base and have a team OPS of .694. They score 3.5 runs per contest and have scored a total of 91 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this matchup with a 4-7 home record and a 8-18 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.97, Mike Fiers has a 2-1 record and a 1.28 WHIP. He has 22 strikeouts over the 29 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 34 hits. He has allowed 10.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.01. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.46 and they have given up 81 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .245 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 91 times and walking 20 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 10.02 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.67 batters per nine. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.85. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 252 base knocks and 122 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 34 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 72 hitters and struck out 193. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.43 while their FIP as a staff is 4.30.

As a team, they are batting .227, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .240 average at home. The Astros hold a .407 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 29th in baseball with 7.42 hits per contest. Jose Altuve comes into this matchup batting .301 and he has an OBP of .395. He has 31 hits this year along with 21 runs scored and 14 RBI. He's struck out 16 times and has walked on 13 occasions. Carlos Correa is hitting .258 and he has an OBP of .383. He has collected 23 hits so far while he's scored 12 runs and drove in 9. He has earned a walk 17 times and has punched out 24 times. The Astros as a unit have 193 base hits, including 50 doubles and 32 homers. They have 19 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 10 times. Houston as a team has walked 98 times this year and they have struck out 257 times. They've had 171 men left on base and have an OPS of .717. They score 3.62 runs per game and have totaled 94 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 11-13-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 12-14-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 14-10-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 8-18-0 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)
04/27/16 P Kyle Gibson Shoulder 15-day DL (4/23)
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 15-day DL (4/11)

Houston Astros

05/03/16 CF Carlos Gomez Ribs is expected to be in the starting lineup Tuesday vs. Minnesota Twins
04/04/16 P Lance McCuller Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/02/16 C Max Stassi Wrist 15-day DL (3/29)

Guy's Pick: Take the Astros

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