Saturday, July 9, 2016

Globe Life Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ricky Nolasco vs. Nick Martinez

The Minnesota Twins visit Globe Life Park on Saturday to play the Texas Rangers. The probable starters are Ricky Nolasco for the Twins and Nick Martinez for the Rangers. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +116 and Texas at -126. The over/under was set at 11.5. The Twins have a 51-29-5 over/under record and a 41-44-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 48% of the time. The Rangers are 53-34-0 against the run line and have a 45-37-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 61% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup with a 30-55 record, including 11-28 on the road. Starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco has a 3-7 record with an earned run average of 5.26 and a WHIP of 1.36. He has 83 strikeouts over his 102.2 innings pitched and he has given up 118 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.44 and they have given up 309 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .271 against the bullpen while being struck out 281 times and walking 91 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.06 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.6 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.95. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 841 base hits and 414 earned runs. They have allowed 117 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 228 batters and struck out 635. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.42 and their FIP as a unit is 4.49.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .250, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .238 average away from home. The Twins hold a .412 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316 which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.59 hits per game. Joe Mauer comes into this game hitting .270 and his on-base percentage is at .372. He has 81 hits this season along with 40 runs scored and 27 runs batted in. He's struck out 59 times and has walked 49 times. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .321 and he has an on-base percentage of .349. He has totaled 98 hits so far while scoring 44 runs and he's driven in 37. He has walked 12 times and has struck out 41 times. The Twins have 730 hits, including 141 doubles and 98 home runs. They've stolen 56 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 16 times. Minnesota has walked 267 times this season and they've struck out 726 times as a unit. They've left 596 men on base and have a team OPS of .728. They score 4.32 runs per contest and have scored a total of 367 runs so far this year.

Texas comes into this matchup with a 28-13 home record and a 53-34 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.45, Nick Martinez has a 1-2 record and a 2.02 WHIP. He has 8 strikeouts over the 22.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 30 hits. He has allowed 12.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 7.34. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 5.07 and they have given up 306 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .276 against the Rangers bullpen while being struck out 218 times and walking 103 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 9.14 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.59 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.29. The Rangers pitchers as a team have surrendered 791 base knocks and 371 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 111 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a staff has walked 292 hitters and struck out 570. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.39 while their FIP as a staff is 4.82.

As a team, they are batting .266, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .280 average at home. The Rangers hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 10th in baseball with 9.08 hits per contest. Ian Desmond comes into this matchup batting .319 and he has an OBP of .374. He has 108 hits this year along with 63 runs scored and 54 RBI. He's struck out 91 times and has walked on 28 occasions. Nomar Mazara is hitting .284 and he has an OBP of .333. He has collected 84 hits so far while he's scored 35 runs and drove in 36. He has earned a walk 22 times and has punched out 52 times. The Rangers as a unit have 790 base hits, including 136 doubles and 109 homers. They have 52 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. Texas as a team has walked 228 times this year and they have struck out 645 times. They've had 547 men left on base and have an OPS of .752. They score 4.9 runs per game and have totaled 426 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 51-29-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 41-44-0 against the run line so far this season

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 45-37-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 53-34-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

07/07/16 SS Eduardo Escobar Hamstring "?" Friday vs. Texas Rangers
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

Texas Rangers

07/07/16 C Bryan Holaday Thumb 15-day DL (7/5)
07/07/16 1B Mitch Moreland Calf "?" Friday vs. Minnesota Twins
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 60-day DL (6/22)
06/22/16 P Derek Holland Shoulder 15-day DL (6/21)
06/14/16 P Yu Darvish Shoulder 15-day DL (6/9)
05/28/16 P Tanner Scheppers Knee 60-day DL (3/25)
05/24/16 CF Drew Stubbs Toe 60-day DL (5/23)
04/21/16 P Keone Kela Elbow 60-day DL (4/20)
04/04/16 RF Josh Hamilton Knee 60-day DL (3/25)

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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