Sunday, April 24, 2016

Nationals Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Tyler Duffey vs. Stephen Strasburg

The Minnesota Twins visit Nationals Park on Sunday to play the Washington Nationals. The probable starters are Tyler Duffey for the Twins and Stephen Strasburg for the Nationals. The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +207 and Washington at -225. The over/under was set at 7. The Twins have a 6-11-1 over/under record and a 8-10-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 44% of the time. The Nationals are 11-6-0 against the run line and have a 6-10-1 over/under record. They cover the spread 65% of the time.

The Twins head into this matchup with a 5-13 record, including 1-9 on the road. Starting pitcher Tyler Duffey will be making his season debut for Minnesota. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.19 and they have given up 48 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .234 against the bullpen while being struck out 58 times and walking 28 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.88 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 3.97. The Twins pitchers have collectively given up 144 base hits and 65 earned runs. They have allowed 16 home runs this season and they allow 1 homer per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 57 batters and struck out 129. They walk 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.36 and their FIP as a unit is 3.91.

As a team, Minnesota is batting .250, good for 14th in the league while putting together a .247 average away from home. The Twins hold a .401 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325 which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 14th in baseball with 8.41 hits per game. Joe Mauer comes into this game hitting .333 and his on-base percentage is at .461. He has 20 hits this season along with 6 runs scored and 6 runs batted in. He's struck out 5 times and has walked 14 times. Eduardo Escobar is hitting .281 and he has an on-base percentage of .328. He has totaled 16 hits so far while scoring 6 runs and he's driven in 4. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 16 times. The Twins have 143 hits, including 31 doubles and 16 home runs. They've stolen 10 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 4 times. Minnesota has walked 59 times this season and they've struck out 145 times as a unit. They've left 136 men on base and have a team OPS of .726. They score 3.56 runs per contest and have scored a total of 57 runs so far this year.

Washington comes into this matchup with a 7-1 home record and a 13-4 overall mark. With an earned run average of 1.25, Stephen Strasburg has a 3-0 record and a 0.92 WHIP. He has 21 strikeouts over the 21.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 13 hits. He has allowed 5.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.06. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.14 and they have given up 34 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .205 against the Nationals bullpen while being struck out 43 times and walking 12 times this season. As a team, Washington has allowed 6.95 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.71 batters per nine. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 2.32. The Nationals pitchers as a team have surrendered 111 base knocks and 37 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 10 home runs this year and they give up 0.6 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Washington as a staff has walked 43 hitters and struck out 123. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.07 while their FIP as a staff is 3.20.

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 15th in the league while putting together a .256 average at home. The Nationals hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 12th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8 hits per contest. Bryce Harper comes into this matchup batting .298 and he has an OBP of .391. He has 17 hits this year along with 13 runs scored and 22 RBI. He's struck out 8 times and has walked on 10 occasions. Yunel Escobar is hitting .275 and he has an OBP of .351. He has collected 19 hits so far while he's scored 7 runs and drove in 5. He has earned a walk 8 times and has punched out 6 times. The Nationals as a unit have 128 base hits, including 28 doubles and 20 homers. They have 6 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 3 times. Washington as a team has walked 57 times this year and they have struck out 132 times. They've had 105 men left on base and have an OPS of .745. They score 4.73 runs per game and have totaled 71 runs so far this season.

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 6-11-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 8-10-0 against the run line so far this season

Washington Nationals Betting Trends

The Washington Nationals are 6-10-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Washington Nationals are 11-6-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota Twins

04/23/16 P Ervin Santana Back scratched from start Sunday vs Washington Nationals
04/18/16 3B Trevor Plouffe Side 15-day DL (4/18)
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 15-day DL (4/11)
04/10/16 CF Danny Santana Hamstring 15-day DL (4/10)

Washington Nationals

04/20/16 P Joe Ross Finger left last game, "?" next start
04/07/16 LF Ben Revere Oblique 15-day DL (4/5)
03/31/16 P Aaron Barrett Elbow 60-day DL (4/1)

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins

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