Thursday, May 19, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Marco Estrada vs. Ervin Santana

The Toronto Blue Jays visit Target Field on Thursday to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Marco Estrada for the Blue Jays and Ervin Santana for the Twins. The opening line for this matchup has Toronto at -138 and Minnesota at +128. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Blue Jays have a 14-24-3 over/under record and a 21-20-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Twins are 15-23-0 against the run line and have a 20-16-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 40% of the time.

The Blue Jays head into this matchup with a 19-22 record, including 10-10 on the road. Starting pitcher Marco Estrada has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 2.89 and a WHIP of 1.15. He has 41 strikeouts over his 43.2 innings pitched and he has given up 32 hits so far this season. He has allowed 6.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.66. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.81 and they have given up 111 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .261 against the bullpen while being struck out 100 times and walking 37 times this season. As a team, Toronto has allowed 8.49 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.34 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.70. The Blue Jays pitchers have collectively given up 347 base hits and 151 earned runs. They have allowed 40 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 126 batters and struck out 300. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.03.

As a team, Toronto is batting .236, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .227 average away from home. The Blue Jays hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 7.88 hits per game. Josh Donaldson comes into this game hitting .253 and his on-base percentage is at .355. He has 40 hits this season along with 34 runs scored and 21 runs batted in. He's struck out 37 times and has walked 23 times. Kevin Pillar is hitting .263 and he has an on-base percentage of .297. He has totaled 41 hits so far while scoring 15 runs and he's driven in 15. He has walked 4 times and has struck out 22 times. The Blue Jays have 323 hits, including 69 doubles and 46 home runs. They've stolen 14 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 5 times. Toronto has walked 150 times this season and they've struck out 360 times as a unit. They've left 276 men on base and have a team OPS of .711. They score 4.02 runs per contest and have scored a total of 165 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this matchup with a 6-10 home record and a 10-28 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.38, Ervin Santana has a 1-2 record and a 1.50 WHIP. He has 27 strikeouts over the 29.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 32 hits. He has allowed 9.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.38. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.82 and they have given up 153 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .282 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 131 times and walking 53 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.94 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.02 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.00. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 368 base knocks and 185 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 52 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 119 hitters and struck out 297. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.50.

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .251 average at home. The Twins hold a .382 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .305 which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 19th in baseball with 8.16 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .274 and he has an OBP of .389. He has 37 hits this year along with 11 runs scored and 10 RBI. He's struck out 23 times and has walked on 25 occasions. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .333 and he has an OBP of .375. He has collected 34 hits so far while he's scored 14 runs and drove in 14. He has earned a walk 5 times and has punched out 20 times. The Twins as a unit have 310 base hits, including 64 doubles and 38 homers. They have 25 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 7 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 117 times this year and they have struck out 339 times. They've had 273 men left on base and have an OPS of .687. They score 3.63 runs per game and have totaled 138 runs so far this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 14-24-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 21-20-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 20-16-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 15-23-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

05/15/16 P Brett Cecil Tricep 15-day DL (5/15)
04/22/16 1B Chris Colabello Suspension expected to miss 80 games
04/10/16 P Franklin Morales Arm 15-day DL (4/7)
04/04/16 P Aaron Loup Elbow 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 2B Devon Travis Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Bo Schultz Hip 15-day DL (3/25)

Minnesota Twins

05/18/16 P Phil Hughes Shoulder "?" for next scheduled start
05/07/16 SS Eduardo Escobar Groin 15-day DL (5/7)
04/27/16 P Kyle Gibson Shoulder 15-day DL (4/23)
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 15-day DL (4/11)

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins

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