Saturday, May 21, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: J.A. Happ vs. Pat Dean

The Toronto Blue Jays visit Target Field on Saturday to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are J.A. Happ for the Blue Jays and Pat Dean for the Twins. The opening line for this matchup has Toronto at -157 and Minnesota at +147. The over/under was set at 9. The Blue Jays have a 15-25-3 over/under record and a 21-22-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 49% of the time. The Twins are 16-24-0 against the run line and have a 20-17-3 over/under record. They cover the spread 40% of the time.

The Blue Jays head into this matchup with a 20-23 record, including 11-10 on the road. Starting pitcher J.A. Happ has a 5-1 record with an earned run average of 3.40 and a WHIP of 1.27. He has 32 strikeouts over his 50.1 innings pitched and he has given up 50 hits so far this season. He has allowed 8.9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.39. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.69 and they have given up 114 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the bullpen while being struck out 104 times and walking 37 times this season. As a team, Toronto has allowed 8.38 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.41 batters per nine. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.64. The Blue Jays pitchers have collectively given up 361 base hits and 157 earned runs. They have allowed 43 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 128 batters and struck out 319. They walk 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.26 and their FIP as a unit is 3.99.

As a team, Toronto is batting .233, good for 29th in the league while putting together a .226 average away from home. The Blue Jays hold a .393 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 7.81 hits per game. Josh Donaldson comes into this game hitting .247 and his on-base percentage is at .351. He has 40 hits this season along with 35 runs scored and 21 runs batted in. He's struck out 39 times and has walked 24 times. Edwin Encarnacion is hitting .251 and he has an on-base percentage of .319. He has totaled 42 hits so far while scoring 19 runs and he's driven in 32. He has walked 16 times and has struck out 43 times. The Blue Jays have 336 hits, including 72 doubles and 50 home runs. They've stolen 14 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 5 times. Toronto has walked 157 times this season and they've struck out 377 times as a unit. They've left 289 men on base and have a team OPS of .708. They score 3.98 runs per contest and have scored a total of 171 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this matchup with a 6-11 home record and a 10-30 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.50, Pat Dean has a 0-1 record and a 2.00 WHIP. He has 7 strikeouts over the 8 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 14 hits. He has allowed 15.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.72. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.81 and they have given up 162 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .285 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 138 times and walking 54 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 9.96 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.05 batters per nine. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.90. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 390 base knocks and 192 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 54 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 123 hitters and struck out 315. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.46 while their FIP as a staff is 4.43.

As a team, they are batting .234, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .243 average at home. The Twins hold a .372 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .300 which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 21st in baseball with 8.03 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .266 and he has an OBP of .380. He has 38 hits this year along with 11 runs scored and 11 RBI. He's struck out 25 times and has walked on 26 occasions. Eduardo Nunez is hitting .327 and he has an OBP of .367. He has collected 36 hits so far while he's scored 15 runs and drove in 14. He has earned a walk 5 times and has punched out 23 times. The Twins as a unit have 321 base hits, including 65 doubles and 38 homers. They have 28 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 8 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 121 times this year and they have struck out 362 times. They've had 282 men left on base and have an OPS of .672. They score 3.58 runs per game and have totaled 143 runs so far this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 15-25-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 21-22-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 20-17-3 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 16-24-0 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)

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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