Sunday, July 3, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Cole Hamels vs. Kyle Gibson

The Texas Rangers head to Target Field on Sunday to take on the Minnesota Twins. The probable pitchers are Cole Hamels for the Rangers and Kyle Gibson for the Twins. The opening line for this game has Texas at -163 and Minnesota at +153. The over/under is 8. The Rangers have a 41-36-4 over/under mark and a 52-29-0 run line record, meaning they cover 64% of the time. The Twins are 36-43-0 against the run line and have a 48-27-4 over/under record. They cover the spread 46% of the time.

The Rangers head into this game with a 52-29 record, and they are 24-17 on the road. Starting pitcher Cole Hamels has a 9-1 record with an ERA of 2.60 and a WHIP of 1.21. He has 102 strikeouts during his 103.2 innings pitched and he has given up 87 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.4. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.75 and they have allowed 270 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the pen while they've been struck out 199 times and walked 91 times this year. As a unit, Texas has given up 8.73 base hits per nine innings while striking out 6.64 hitters per nine. They are 11th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.96. The Rangers pitchers have collectively given up 707 base hits and 321 earned runs. They have allowed 99 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Texas as a pitching staff has walked 262 batters and struck out 538. They walk 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 6.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 4.64.

As a team, Texas is hitting .265, good for 9th in the league while putting together a .248 average on the road. The Rangers have a .427 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .323 which is good for 17th in the league. They rank 11th in baseball with 9.02 hits per contest. Ian Desmond comes into this game hitting .323 and his on-base percentage is at .376. He has 102 hits this season along with 60 runs scored and 52 runs batted in. He's struck out 82 times and has walked 25 times. Nomar Mazara is hitting .285 and he has an on-base percentage of .336. He has totaled 79 hits so far while scoring 35 runs and he's driven in 35. He has walked 21 times and has struck out 51 times. The Rangers have 731 hits, including 125 doubles and 101 home runs. They've stolen 50 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. Texas has walked 215 times this season and they've struck out 594 times as a unit. They've left 505 men on base and have a team OPS of .750. They score 4.91 runs per contest and have scored a total of 398 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this game with a 15-26 home mark and a 25-54 overall record. With an ERA of 5.12, Kyle Gibson has a 1-5 record and a 1.49 WHIP. He has 29 strikeouts over the 45.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 50 hits. He has allowed 9.9 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.63. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.51 and they have given up 296 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 269 times and walking 88 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.34 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.63 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.14. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 802 base knocks and 399 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 111 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 215 hitters and struck out 592. 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 4.53.

As a team, they are batting .245, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .257 average at home. The Twins hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .309 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.38 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .262 and he has an OBP of .364. He has 73 hits this year along with 33 runs scored and 26 RBI. He's struck out 56 times and has walked on 45 occasions. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .313 and he has an OBP of .341. He has collected 87 hits so far while he's scored 39 runs and drove in 32. He has earned a walk 10 times and has punched out 40 times. The Twins as a unit have 662 base hits, including 129 doubles and 89 homers. They have 51 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 16 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 235 times this year and they have struck out 689 times. They've had 542 men left on base and have an OPS of .711. They score 4.04 runs per game and have totaled 319 runs so far this season.

Texas Rangers Betting Trends

The Texas Rangers are 41-36-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Texas Rangers are 52-29-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 48-27-4 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 36-43-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Texas Rangers

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

06/10/16 P Phil Hughes Knee 60-day DL (6/10); out for season
06/10/16 P Trevor May Back 15-day DL (6/10)
05/25/16 RF Darin Mastroianni Oblique 15-day DL (5/22)
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins

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