Thursday, September 22, 2016

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Justin Verlander vs. Ervin Santana

The Detroit Tigers head to Target Field on Thursday to take on the Minnesota Twins. The probable pitchers are Justin Verlander for the Tigers and Ervin Santana for the Twins. The opening line for this game has Detroit at -143 and Minnesota at +133. The over/under is 8.5. The Tigers have a 73-70-7 over/under mark and a 80-70-0 run line record, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Twins are 77-74-0 against the run line and have a 90-53-8 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Tigers head into this game with a 80-70 record, and they are 38-38 on the road. Starting pitcher Justin Verlander has a 14-8 record with an ERA of 3.22 and a WHIP of 1.01. He has 223 strikeouts during his 207 innings pitched and he has given up 157 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 6.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.61. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.12 and they have allowed 468 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the pen while they've been struck out 410 times and walked 170 times this year. As a unit, Detroit has given up 8.96 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.62 hitters per nine. They are 19th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.24. The Tigers pitchers have collectively given up 1,329 base hits and 629 earned runs. They have allowed 167 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Detroit as a pitching staff has walked 432 batters and struck out 1,131. They walk 2.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.6 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.32 and their FIP as a unit is 4.15.

As a team, Detroit is hitting .265, good for 4th in the league while putting together a .262 average on the road. The Tigers have a .433 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .328 which is good for 8th in the league. They rank 5th in baseball with 9.09 hits per contest. Ian Kinsler comes into this game hitting .277 and his on-base percentage is at .335. He has 161 hits this season along with 106 runs scored and 78 runs batted in. He's struck out 108 times and has walked 40 times. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .310 and he has an on-base percentage of .387. He has totaled 171 hits so far while scoring 84 runs and he's driven in 93. He has walked 69 times and has struck out 105 times. The Tigers have 1,364 hits, including 230 doubles and 193 home runs. They've stolen 57 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 26 times. Detroit has walked 450 times this season and they've struck out 1,204 times as a unit. They've left 1,025 men on base and have a team OPS of .760. They score 4.57 runs per contest and have scored a total of 685 runs so far this year.

Minnesota comes into this game with a 29-47 home mark and a 55-96 overall record. With an ERA of 3.38, Ervin Santana has a 7-10 record and a 1.22 WHIP. He has 138 strikeouts over the 170.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 159 hits. He has allowed 8.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.8. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.58 and they have given up 576 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .273 against the Twins bullpen while being struck out 491 times and walking 180 times this season. As a team, Minnesota has allowed 10.23 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.38 batters per nine. They are 29th in the league in team earned run average at 5.11. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,528 base knocks and 764 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 211 home runs this year and they give up 1.4 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Minnesota as a staff has walked 441 hitters and struck out 1,102. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.47 while their FIP as a staff is 4.60.

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 19th in the league while putting together a .256 average at home. The Twins hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318 which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 11th in baseball with 8.83 hits per contest. Joe Mauer comes into this matchup batting .263 and he has an OBP of .364. He has 129 hits this year along with 68 runs scored and 49 RBI. He's struck out 92 times and has walked on 78 occasions. Brian Dozier is hitting .281 and he has an OBP of .353. He has collected 162 hits so far while he's scored 99 runs and drove in 98. He has earned a walk 59 times and has punched out 125 times. The Twins as a unit have 1,334 base hits, including 272 doubles and 187 homers. They have 86 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 28 times. Minnesota as a team has walked 475 times this year and they have struck out 1,312 times. They've had 1,057 men left on base and have an OPS of .743. They score 4.53 runs per game and have totaled 684 runs so far this season.

Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

The Detroit Tigers are 73-70-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Detroit Tigers are 80-70-0 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 90-53-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 77-74-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Detroit Tigers

09/21/16 2B Ian Kinsler Concussion is downgraded to doubtful Wednesday vs. Minnesota Twins
09/20/16 DH Victor Martinez Knee "?" Wednesday vs. Minnesota Twins
08/07/16 3B Nick Castellanos Hand 15-day DL (8/7)
06/21/16 P Drew VerHagen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/23), out for season
04/04/16 P Jeff Ferrell Shoulder 15-day DL (3/25)
04/01/16 P Angel Nesbitt Ankle 15-day DL (3/25)

Minnesota Twins

09/21/16 3B Miguel Sano Back "?" Wednesday vs. Detroit Tigers
09/20/16 LF Eddie Rosario Thumb out for season
09/14/16 P Trevor May Back 15-day DL (9/12); out for season
09/10/16 3B Trevor Plouffe Oblique 15-day DL
08/29/16 CF Danny Santana Shoulder 60-day DL (8/29); out for season
08/24/16 DH Byung Ho Park Wrist out for season
06/10/16 P Phil Hughes Knee 60-day DL (6/10); out for season
04/13/16 P Glen Perkins Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Twins

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