Thursday, March 30, 2017

Charlotte Sports Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Hector Santiago vs. Jake Odorizzi

The Minnesota Twins visit Charlotte Sports Park on Thursday, March 30, 2017 to play the Tampa Bay Rays in a Spring Training matchup. The probable starters are Hector Santiago for the Twins and Jake Odorizzi for the Rays.

The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +115 and Tampa Bay at -135. The Twins had a 95-59-8 over/under record and a 83-79-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 51% of the time. The Rays were 76-86-0 against the run line and had a 78-75-9 over/under record. They covered the spread 47% of the time.

Valuable 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

Important 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

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

3/28/2017 Ehire Adrianza SS Oblique Expected to be out until at least Apr 15
3/28/2017 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

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

3/28/2017 Alex Cobb SP Back Questionable for start of season
3/28/2017 Nick Franklin LF Illness Questionable for start of season
3/28/2017 Cory Rasmus RP Groin Questionable for start of season
3/25/2017 Colby Rasmus CF 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

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Twins are coming off a 59-103 record in 2016, including 29-52 on the road. Starting pitcher Hector Santiago had a 13-10 record with an earned run average of 4.70 and a WHIP of 1.36. He had 144 strikeouts over his 182 innings pitched and he gave up 169 hits last season. He allowed 8.4 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 5.31. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 4.63 and they gave up 613 base hits on the year. Teams hit .271 against the 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 collectively gave up 1,617 base hits and 814 earned runs. They allowed 221 home runs last season and they allowed 1.4 homers per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a pitching staff walked 479 batters and struck out 1,191. They walked 3 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.4 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.45 and their FIP as a unit was 4.57.

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

Hitting Statistics

As a team Minnesota batted .251, good for 21st in the league while putting together a .251 average away from 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 game. Brian Dozier is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .268 with an on-base percentage of .340. He had 165 hits last season along with 104 runs scored and 99 runs batted in. He struck out 138 times and walked 61 times. Joe Mauer hit .261 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .363. He totaled 129 hits while scoring 68 runs and he drove in 49. He walked 79 times and struck out on 93 occasions. The Twins had 1,409 hits, including 288 doubles and 200 home runs. They stole 91 bases and were thrown out stealing 32 times. Minnesota walked 513 times last season and they struck out 1,426 times as a unit. They left 1,124 men on base and had a team OPS of .738. They scored 4.46 runs per contest and scored a total of 722 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay had a 36-45 home record and a 68-94 overall mark in 2016. With an earned run average of 3.69, Jake Odorizzi had a 10-6 record and a 1.19 WHIP last season. He had 166 strikeouts over the 187.2 innings he pitched during which he gave up 170 hits. He allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 4.31. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 4.09 and they gave up 491 base hits on the year. Teams hit .250 against the Rays 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 as a team surrendered 1,395 base knocks and 665 earned runs last season. They gave up 210 home runs last year and they gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff walked 491 hitters and struck out 1,357. They gave up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.32 while their FIP as a staff was 4.26.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .243, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .234 average at 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 contest. Evan Longoria comes into this matchup after batting .273 with an OBP of .318. He had 173 hits last year along with 81 runs scored and 98 RBI. He struck out 144 times and walked on 42 occasions. Colby Rasmus hit .206 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .286. He collected 76 hits while scoring 38 runs and driving in 54. He earned a walk 43 times and punched out 121 times. The Rays as a unit had 1,333 base hits, including 288 doubles and 216 homers. They had 60 stolen bases and were thrown out 37 times. Tampa Bay as a team walked 449 times last year and they struck out 1,482 times. They had 1,060 men left on base and had an OPS of .733. They scored 4.15 runs per game and totaled 672 runs last season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins +115

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink