Friday, August 26, 2016

Rogers Centre

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Pat Dean vs. Francisco Liriano

The Minnesota Twins visit Rogers Centre on Friday to play the Toronto Blue Jays. The probable starters are Pat Dean for the Twins and Francisco Liriano for the Blue Jays. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +180 and Toronto at -190. The over/under was set at 9.5. The Twins have a 76-43-7 over/under record and a 65-61-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 52% of the time. The Blue Jays are 67-59-0 against the run line and have a 50-70-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 53% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup with a 49-77 record, including 24-38 on the road. Starting pitcher Pat Dean has a 1-3 record with an earned run average of 5.48 and a WHIP of 1.50. He has 37 strikeouts over his 46 innings pitched and he has given up 54 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.5. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.26 and they have given up 463 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .269 against the bullpen while being struck out 401 times and walking 136 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.16 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.34 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 4.99. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 1,263 base hits and 620 earned runs. They have allowed 172 home runs this season and they allow 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 334 batters and struck out 913. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.48.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .255, good for 17th in the league while putting together a .254 average away from home. The Twins hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319 which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.84 hits per game. Brian Dozier comes into this game hitting .270 and his on-base percentage is at .343. He has 127 hits this season along with 79 runs scored and 76 runs batted in. He's struck out 88 times and has walked 48 times. Joe Mauer is hitting .276 and he has an on-base percentage of .375. He has totaled 118 hits so far while scoring 62 runs and he's driven in 45. He has walked 68 times and has struck out 80 times. The Twins have 1,114 hits, including 228 doubles and 150 home runs. They've stolen 79 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 24 times. Minnesota has walked 395 times this season and they've struck out 1,067 times as a unit. They've left 880 men on base and have a team OPS of .743. They score 4.52 runs per contest and have scored a total of 569 runs so far this year.

Toronto comes into this matchup with a 37-27 home record and a 71-55 overall mark. With an earned run average of 5.21, Francisco Liriano has a 6-12 record and a 1.59 WHIP. He has 132 strikeouts over the 131.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 134 hits. He has allowed 9.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.14. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.85 and they have given up 341 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the Blue Jays bullpen while being struck out 354 times and walking 99 times this season. As a team, Toronto has allowed 8.27 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.04 batters per nine. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.74. The Blue Jays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,050 base knocks and 475 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 145 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a staff has walked 345 hitters and struck out 1,020. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.22 while their FIP as a staff is 4.04.

As a team, they are batting .249, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .262 average at home. The Blue Jays hold a .433 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .327 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 22nd in baseball with 8.48 hits per contest. Josh Donaldson comes into this matchup batting .289 and he has an OBP of .401. He has 133 hits this year along with 98 runs scored and 81 RBI. He's struck out 93 times and has walked on 81 occasions. Edwin Encarnacion is hitting .271 and he has an OBP of .360. He has collected 127 hits so far while he's scored 78 runs and drove in 101. He has earned a walk 63 times and has punched out 112 times. The Blue Jays as a unit have 1,067 base hits, including 219 doubles and 180 homers. They have 38 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 19 times. Toronto as a team has walked 470 times this year and they have struck out 1,079 times. They've had 858 men left on base and have an OPS of .760. They score 4.8 runs per game and have totaled 605 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 76-43-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 65-61-0 against the run line so far this season

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 50-70-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 67-59-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

08/25/16 P Hector Santiago Thumb expected to miss next scheduled start Friday vs. Toronto
08/24/16 DH Byung Ho Park Wrist out for season
08/13/16 P Tommy Milone Bicep 15-day DL (8/11)
08/11/16 P Trevor May Back 15-day DL (8/7)
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

Toronto Blue Jays

08/24/16 2B Devon Travis Hand "?" Thursday vs. Los Angeles Angels
08/11/16 RF Jose Bautista Knee 15-day DL (8/10); expected to be activated and start Thursday vs Los Angeles Angels
06/27/16 P Gavin Floyd Shoulder 60-day DL (6/26)

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins

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