Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins Prediction, 8/14/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs Minnesota Twins

Date: Saturday, August 14, 2021

Location: Target Field in Minneapolis, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Odds/Point Spread: Tampa Bay (+115) Minnesota (-147)

Target Field is the site where Kenta Maeda and the Minnesota Twins (50-65, 4th in AL Central) will take on the Tampa Bay Rays (70-45, 1st in AL East) on Saturday. The line on this game has the Rays priced at +115 and the Twins are at -147. The O/U has been set at 9.5. The pitchers taking the mound will be Michael Wacha and Kenta Maeda.

The Rays have compiled 200 doubles as a team and have knocked 153 baseballs out of the park. Tampa Bay has a slugging rate of .415 and have struck out 1,153 times, while taking a walk on 432 occasions. As a unit, the Tampa Bay Rays are scoring 5.2 runs/g, which puts them at 4th in baseball. They have earned 562 RBI's as well as 922 hits on the year, and their average at the plate is .236. They have 594 runs scored and hold an OBP of .318.

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Rays pitchers have surrendered 128 home runs and 474 total runs (12th in the league). Their pitching staff has walked 323 opposing players and their FIP comes in at 3.75 as a team this year. Their strikeout to walk ratio sits at 3.36 and their pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.17. The Rays are sitting with a team ERA of 3.71 this year (8th in MLB), and their staff has struck out 1,084 batters.

Rays relief pitchers have gone to the mound with runners on 93 times and also have had 135 appearances in high leverage situations. The relievers have a total of 66 holds on the campaign (6th in baseball). The Rays relievers have accumulated a save rate of 69.0% and stepped onto the hill in 110 save situations. They have accumulated 29 saves so far this season and have blown 13 of their 42 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 114 base runners on the year and 29.8% of them ended up crossing the plate. The Rays have sent 368 relief pitchers to the hill for the season.

The Tampa Bay Rays have a tally of 3,105 putouts this season, in addition to 980 assists and 59 errors. Their fielding rate is at .986 which has them ranked 8th in the majors, and have earned 743 double plays. The Rays have converted 70.2% of baseballs in play into outs in their 9,315 innings on the diamond, which has them sitting 8th in professional baseball.

Wacha has pitched in 982 frames and has totaled 867 punch outs so far in his MLB career. His earned run average is 4.13 (451 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.343. He has surrendered 988 base hits (9.1 hits per 9 innings) and has 331 free passes. Wacha (62-46 career win-loss mark) holds a FIP of 4.09 and he has gone up against 4,196 hitters during his time in the major leagues.

The Twins hold a slugging % of .425 and they are earning 4.57 runs per game (13th in baseball). They have hit 190 doubles, while taking a walk 383 times as well as putting up 525 runs. Minnesota has hit 163 HRs on the campaign as well as 490 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 990 instances (18th in MLB) and have tallied 935 base hits. The Minnesota Twins have earned a team on-base percentage of .316 in addition to a team batting average of .242 on the year.

The Twins are sitting with a team WHIP of 1.335 with a FIP of 4.62 as a squad this season. Their K/BB ratio comes in at 2.79 (948 strikeouts vs 340 bases on balls). They are currently ranked 26th in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 1,002. They have given up 170 long balls and they give up 5.43 runs per 9 innings (28th in MLB). The Minnesota pitching staff have allowed 606 runs so far this year while holding an ERA of 4.93 (551 earned runs surrendered).

Sitting with 105 save situations, the Twins have 60 holds and also 16 blown saves. Minnesota has had relievers step onto the hill in 45 save opportunities and they have earned 29 saves. Their relief pitchers have come in 124 times in high leverage situations in addition to 93 occasions with runners on base. Minnesota relievers hold an inherited score percentage of 48.8% out of 121 inherited runners. They sit at 10th in baseball with a save percentage of 64.4%, and they have sent 367 relief pitchers to the hill so far this year.

The Minnesota Twins have twisted 104 double plays and hold a fielding percentage of .981 (29th in professional baseball). The Twins have 1,017 assists, 76 errors and have 3,015 putouts during this campaign. In their 9,045 innings played, the Twins are sitting with a defensive efficiency of 68.6% (24th in the majors).

During his MLB career, Maeda has allowed 639 base knocks while he has accumulated 825 strikeouts in 751 innings pitched. He has given up a total of 323 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.140 and being the owner of a FIP of 3.7. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.78 and he has gone up against 3,088 opposing batters in his MLB career. Maeda (58-40 win-loss mark in his career) has a 3.87 earned run average and has conceded 7.7 hits per nine innings.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Minnesota (-147)

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