Friday, August 5, 2016

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ervin Santana vs. Blake Snell

The Minnesota Twins head to Tropicana Field on Friday to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable pitchers are Ervin Santana for the Twins and Blake Snell for the Rays. The Twins have a 63-38-6 over/under mark and a 57-50-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Rays are 46-60-0 against the run line and have a 44-55-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 43% of the time.

The Twins head into this game with a 43-64 record, and they are 20-32 on the road. Starting pitcher Ervin Santana has a 4-9 record with an ERA of 3.66 and a WHIP of 1.25. He has 85 strikeouts during his 120.1 innings pitched and he has given up 119 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.9. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.21 and they have allowed 379 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .265 against the pen while they've been struck out 349 times and walked 115 times this year. As a unit, Minnesota has given up 10.01 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.38 hitters per nine. They are 28th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.84. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 1,059 base hits and 512 earned runs. They have allowed 144 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 280 batters and struck out 781. They walk 2.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.41 and their FIP as a unit is 4.41.

As a team, Minnesota is hitting .256, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .255 average on the road. The Twins have a .427 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .322 which is good for 16th in the league. They rank 13th in baseball with 8.88 hits per contest. Eduardo Nunez comes into this game hitting .290 and his on-base percentage is at .321. He has 112 hits this season along with 49 runs scored and 49 runs batted in. He's struck out 60 times and has walked 17 times. Joe Mauer is hitting .277 and he has an on-base percentage of .377. He has totaled 103 hits so far while scoring 57 runs and he's driven in 39. He has walked 60 times and has struck out 68 times. The Twins have 950 hits, including 199 doubles and 128 home runs. They've stolen 72 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 22 times. Minnesota has walked 342 times this season and they've struck out 909 times as a unit. They've left 749 men on base and have a team OPS of .749. They score 4.64 runs per contest and have scored a total of 496 runs so far this year.

Tampa Bay comes into this game with a 23-32 home mark and a 43-63 overall record. With an ERA of 3.08, Blake Snell has a 3-4 record and a 1.43 WHIP. He has 49 strikeouts over the 49.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 46 hits. He has allowed 8.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.2. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.46 and they have given up 320 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .263 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 279 times and walking 107 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.81 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.45 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.20. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 916 base knocks and 437 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 132 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 306 hitters and struck out 879. They give up a walk 2.9 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 4.14.

As a team, they are batting .239, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .230 average at home. The Rays hold a .418 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 26th in baseball. They rank 28th in baseball with 8.06 hits per contest. Logan Forsythe comes into this matchup batting .275 and he has an OBP of .338. He has 86 hits this year along with 47 runs scored and 29 RBI. He's struck out 72 times and has walked on 25 occasions. Evan Longoria is hitting .282 and he has an OBP of .330. He has collected 116 hits so far while he's scored 53 runs and drove in 59. He has earned a walk 31 times and has punched out 100 times. The Rays as a unit have 854 base hits, including 180 doubles and 137 homers. They have 39 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 25 times. Tampa Bay as a team has walked 315 times this year and they have struck out 959 times. They've had 707 men left on base and have an OPS of .725. They score 4.01 runs per game and have totaled 425 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 63-38-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 57-50-0 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 44-55-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 46-60-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

08/03/16 CF Byron Buxton Knee "?" Thursday vs. Cleveland Indians
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

Tampa Bay Rays

07/31/16 RF Oswaldo Arcia Elbow 15-day DL (7/27)
07/29/16 1B Logan Morrison Forearm 15-day DL (7/28)
06/21/16 CF Mike Mahtook Hand 15-day DL (6/21)
06/21/16 3B Matt Duffy Achilles 15-day DL (6/19)
04/10/16 P Chase Whitley Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Alex Cobb Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays

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