Friday, July 1, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Martin Perez vs. Ervin Santana

The Texas Rangers visit Target Field on Friday to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Martin Perez for the Rangers and Ervin Santana for the Twins. The opening line for this matchup has Texas at -118 and Minnesota at +108. The over/under was set at 9. The Rangers have a 41-34-4 over/under record and a 51-28-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 65% of the time. The Twins are 34-43-0 against the run line and have a 47-26-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Rangers head into this matchup with a 51-28 record, including 23-16 on the road. Starting pitcher Martin Perez has a 7-4 record with an earned run average of 3.44 and a WHIP of 1.39. He has 47 strikeouts over his 96.2 innings pitched and he has given up 93 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.73. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 4.88 and they have given up 265 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .275 against the bullpen while being struck out 194 times and walking 87 times this season. As a team, Texas has allowed 8.81 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.6 batters per nine. They are 12th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 695 base hits and 318 earned runs. They have allowed 97 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 253 batters and struck out 521. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.66.

As a team, Texas is batting .267, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .251 average away from home. The Rangers hold a .431 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 9th in baseball with 9.1 hits per game. Ian Desmond comes into this game hitting .322 and his on-base percentage is at .377. He has 99 hits this season along with 59 runs scored and 51 runs batted in. He's struck out 78 times and has walked 25 times. Nomar Mazara is hitting .287 and he has an on-base percentage of .339. He has totaled 77 hits so far while scoring 35 runs and he's driven in 35. He has walked 21 times and has struck out 49 times. The Rangers have 719 hits, including 124 doubles and 99 home runs. They've stolen 50 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. Texas has walked 208 times this season and they've struck out 568 times as a unit. They've left 490 men on base and have a team OPS of .755. They score 4.99 runs per contest and have scored a total of 394 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this matchup with a 15-25 home record and a 25-52 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.64, Ervin Santana has a 2-7 record and a 1.44 WHIP. He has 55 strikeouts over the 77.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 89 hits. He has allowed 10.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.47. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.59 and they have given up 288 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .274 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 260 times and walking 85 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.34 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.61 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.16. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 782 base knocks and 390 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 109 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 208 hitters and struck out 575. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.54.

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .258 average at home. The Twins hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.4 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .264 and he has an OBP of .362. He has 73 hits this year along with 33 runs scored and 26 RBI. He's struck out 56 times and has walked on 43 occasions. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .316 and he has an OBP of .345. He has collected 85 hits so far while he's scored 38 runs and drove in 30. He has earned a walk 10 times and has punched out 37 times. The Twins as a unit have 647 base hits, including 127 doubles and 86 homers. They have 51 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 16 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 230 times this year and they have struck out 669 times. They've had 534 men left on base and have an OPS of .712. They score 4.05 runs per game and have totaled 312 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 41-34-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 51-28-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 47-26-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 34-43-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

06/30/16 SS Elvis Andrus Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. New York Yankees
06/26/16 P Colby Lewis Back 15-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)

Minnesota Twins

06/30/16 1B Joe Mauer Rest is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Chicago White Sox
06/10/16 P Phil Hughes Knee 60-day DL (6/10); out for season
06/10/16 P Trevor May Back 15-day DL (6/10)
05/31/16 3B Miguel Sano Hamstring 15-day DL (6/1)
05/25/16 RF Darin Mastroianni Oblique 15-day DL (5/22)
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Rangers

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