Thursday, May 4, 2017

Target Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jharel Cotton vs. Kyle Gibson

The Oakland Athletics head to Target Field on Thursday, May 4, 2017 to take on the Minnesota Twins. The expected starting pitchers are Jharel Cotton for the Athletics and Kyle Gibson for the Twins.

The odds for this matchup have Oakland at +118 and Minnesota at -128. The Athletics have a 12-14-0 over/under mark and a 13-13-0 run line record. The Twins are 14-10-0 against the run line and have a 9-12-3 over/under record.

Valuable Oakland Athletics Betting Trends

The Oakland Athletics are 12-14-0 against the over/under

The Oakland Athletics are 13-13-0 against the run line

Important Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 9-12-3 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 14-10-0 against the run line

Key Oakland Athletics Injuries

04/30/17 P Sean Manaea Shoulder 10-day DL (4/27)
04/17/17 SS Marcus Semien Wrist 60-day DL (04/15)
04/06/17 P John Axford Shoulder 10-day DL (4/2)
04/01/17 P Chris Bassitt Elbow 60-day DL (3/30)
04/01/17 P Daniel Mengden Foot 10-day DL (3/30)
04/01/17 CF Jake Smolinski Shoulder 60-day DL (3/30)
04/01/17 2B Joey Wendle Shoulder 10-day DL (3/31)

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

04/28/17 P Hector Santiago Personal out indefinitely
04/23/17 P Justin Haley Bicep 10-day DL (4/23)
04/03/17 P Ryan O'Rourke Elbow 60-day DL (3/30)
04/01/17 SS Ehire Adrianza Oblique 10-day DL (3/30)
03/31/17 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/2)
03/11/17 P Trevor May Arm 60-day DL

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Athletics have a 11-15 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jharel Cotton has a 2-3 record with an earned run average of 5.00 and a WHIP of 1.59. He has 19 strikeouts over his 27 innings pitched and he's given up 31 hits. He allows 10.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.52. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.98 and they have given up 87 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the bullpen and they've struck out 68 hitters and walked 31 batters. As a team, Oakland allows 8 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.3 batters per nine innings. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.14. The Athletics pitchers collectively have given up 195 base hits and 101 earned runs. They have allowed 19 home runs this season, ranking them 30th in the league. Oakland as a pitching staff has walked 76 batters and struck out 179. They have walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 3.74.

For expert handicapping advice on this matchup and other MLB games check out our handicapping tips.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Oakland is hitting .229, good for 26th in the league. The Athletics hold a .400 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .297, which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 27th in MLB with 7.4 hits per game. Khris Davis is hitting .268 with an on-base percentage of .374. He has 22 hits this season in 82 at bats with 17 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .659 and an OPS+ of 193. Jed Lowrie is hitting .292 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .354. He has totaled 26 hits and he has driven in 5 men in 89 at bats. His OPS+ is 129 while his slugging percentage is at .438. The Athletics have 186 hits, including 42 doubles and 31 home runs. Oakland has walked 77 times so far this season and they have struck out 221 times as a unit. They have left 156 men on base and have a team OPS of .697. They score 3.64 runs per contest and have scored a total of 91 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Minnesota has a 13-11 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 8.06, Kyle Gibson has a 0-3 record and a 1.84 WHIP. He has 13 strikeouts over the 22.1 innings he's pitched. He's also given up 31 hits. He allows 12.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.94. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.07 and they have given up 72 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .226 against the Twins bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 68 batters and walked 29 opposing hitters. As a team, Minnesota allows 8.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 6.8 batters per nine innings. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.93. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 184 base knocks and 89 earned runs this season. They have given up 26 home runs this year, which ranks 25th in Major League Baseball. Minnesota as a staff has walked 69 hitters and struck out 153 batters. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 6.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.24 while their FIP as a staff is 4.39.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .242, good for 19th in the league. The Twins hold a .375 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 20th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Jorge Polanco comes into this matchup batting .253 with an OBP of .315. He has 20 hits this year along with 12 RBI in 79 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .354 with an OPS+ of 91. Max Kepler is hitting .280 this season and he has an OBP of .368. He has collected 21 hits in 75 at bats while driving in 10 runs. He has an OPS+ of 137 and a slugging percentage of .467. The Twins as a unit have 186 base hits, including 39 doubles and 20 homers. Minnesota has walked 102 times this year and they have struck out on 179 occasions. They have had 169 men left on base and have an OPS of .707. They have scored 4.39 runs per game and totaled 101 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Athletics/Twins MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Athletics +118

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