Tuesday, March 28, 2017

CenturyLink Sports Complex

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Chris Archer vs. Nick Tepesch

The Tampa Bay Rays visit CenturyLink Sports Complex on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 to play the Minnesota Twins in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Chris Archer for the Rays and Nick Tepesch for the Twins.

The opening line for this matchup has Tampa Bay at -105 and Minnesota at -115. The Rays had a 78-75-9 over/under record and a 76-86-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 47% of the time. The Twins were 83-79-0 against the run line and had a 95-59-8 over/under record. They covered the spread 51% of the time.

Valuable Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays were 78-75-9 against the over/under last season

The Tampa Bay Rays were 76-86-0 against the run line last season

Important Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins were 95-59-8 against the over/under last season

The Minnesota Twins were 83-79-0 against the run line last season

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

3/26/2017 Tim Beckham SS Hip Questionable for start of season
3/26/2017 Alex Cobb SP Back Questionable for start of season
3/25/2017 Colby Rasmus CF Groin Questionable for start of season
3/24/2017 Cory Rasmus RP Groin Questionable for start of season
3/21/2017 Matt Duffy 3B Heel Expected to be out until at least May 1
3/20/2017 Brad Boxberger RP Back Questionable for start of season
3/13/2017 Nathan Eovaldi SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Mar 1, 2018
3/7/2017 Brandon Koch RP Arm Expected to be out until at least Apr 1
2/14/2017 Wilson Ramos C Knee Expected to be out until at least Jul 1
12/16/2016 Justin O'Conner C Back Expected to be out until at least Jul 1

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

3/26/2017 Ehire Adrianza SS Foot Questionable for start of season
3/26/2017 Robbie Grossman LF Groin Questionable for start of season
3/26/2017 Kennys Vargas 1B Foot Questionable for start of season
3/22/2017 Trevor May RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Feb 28, 2018
3/21/2017 Ryan O'Rourke RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Apr 15
3/21/2017 Glen Perkins RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jun 1
3/1/2017 Alex Kirilloff CF Elbow Out for the season
11/20/2016 Zach Jones RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Jul 1

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Rays are coming off a 68-94 record in 2016, including 32-49 on the road. Starting pitcher Chris Archer had a 9-19 record with an earned run average of 4.02 and a WHIP of 1.24. He had 233 strikeouts over his 201.1 innings pitched and he gave up 183 hits last season. He allowed 8.2 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.81. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 4.09 and they gave up 491 base hits on the year. Teams hit .250 against the bullpen while being struck out 470 times and walking 201 times last season. As a team, Tampa Bay allowed 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.56 batters per nine innings. They were 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.20. The Rays pitchers collectively gave up 1,395 base hits and 665 earned runs. They allowed 210 home runs last season and they allowed 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a pitching staff walked 491 batters and struck out 1,357. They walked 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit was 4.26.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Tampa Bay batted .243, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .252 average away from home. The Rays held a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which was good for 27th in baseball. They ranked 27th in baseball with 8.23 hits per game. Colby Rasmus is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .206 with an on-base percentage of .286. He had 76 hits last season along with 38 runs scored and 54 runs batted in. He struck out 121 times and walked 43 times. Evan Longoria hit .273 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .318. He totaled 173 hits while scoring 81 runs and he drove in 98. He walked 42 times and struck out on 144 occasions. The Rays had 1,333 hits, including 288 doubles and 216 home runs. They stole 60 bases and were thrown out stealing 37 times. Tampa Bay walked 449 times last season and they struck out 1,482 times as a unit. They left 1,060 men on base and had a team OPS of .733. They scored 4.15 runs per contest and scored a total of 672 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Minnesota had a 30-51 home record and a 59-103 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 11.25, Nick Tepesch had a 0-1 record and a 1.75 WHIP last season. He had 3 strikeouts over the 4 innings he pitched during which he gave up 7 hits. He allowed 15.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.9. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 4.63 and they gave up 613 base hits on the year. Teams hit .271 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 536 times and walking 198 times last season. As a team, Minnesota allowed 10.09 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.43 batters per nine innings. They were 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.08. The Twins pitchers as a team surrendered 1,617 base knocks and 814 earned runs last season. They gave up 221 home runs last year and they gave up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff walked 479 hitters and struck out 1,191. They gave up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they struck out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.45 while their FIP as a staff was 4.57.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .251, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .251 average at home. The Twins held a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316 which was good for 22nd in baseball. They ranked 17th in baseball with 8.7 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup after batting .261 with an OBP of .363. He had 129 hits last year along with 68 runs scored and 49 RBI. He struck out 93 times and walked on 79 occasions. Brian Dozier hit .268 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .340. He collected 165 hits while scoring 104 runs and driving in 99. He earned a walk 61 times and punched out 138 times. The Twins as a unit had 1,409 base hits, including 288 doubles and 200 homers. They had 91 stolen bases and were thrown out 32 times. Minnesota as a team walked 513 times last year and they struck out 1,426 times. They had 1,124 men left on base and had an OPS of .738. They scored 4.46 runs per game and totaled 722 runs last season.

Who will win tonight's Rays/Twins MLB game against the moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take the Rays -105

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