Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros 9/4/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Kohl Stewart vs. Justin Verlander

The Minnesota Twins visit Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Kohl Stewart for the Twins and Justin Verlander for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +127 and Houston at -137. The Twins have a 65-67-4 over/under record and a 70-66-0 run line mark. The Astros are 69-68-0 against the run line and have a 60-70-7 over/under record.

Valuable Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 65-67-4 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 70-66-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 60-70-7 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 69-68-0 against the run line

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

09/02/18 LF Eddie Rosario Quad is out indefinitely
09/01/18 P Adalberto Mejia Wrist 60-day DL (08/10)
08/19/18 P Ervin Santana Finger 10-day DL (08/19)
08/12/18 1B Logan Morrison Hip 7-day DL (08/11)
07/14/18 P Aaron Slegers Shoulder 10-day DL (07/11)
06/10/18 C Jason Castro Knee is out for season
03/26/18 P Michael Pineda Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Trevor May Elbow 60-day DL (03/26)

Key Houston Astros Injuries

08/29/18 P Charlie Morton Shoulder 10-day DL (08/29)
08/05/18 P Lance McCullers Jr. Elbow 10-day DL (08/05)
05/21/18 LF Derek Fisher Intestinal 10-day DL (05/20)
03/30/18 P Brady Rodgers Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 P Jandel Gustave Elbow 10-day DL (03/26)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Twins have a 63-73 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Kohl Stewart has a 0-1 record with an earned run average of 6.61 and a WHIP of 2.02 this season. He has 11 strikeouts over his 16.1 innings pitched and he's given up 24 hits. He's allowed 13.2 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.62. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.61 and they have given up 520 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .264 against the bullpen and they've struck out 506 hitters and walked 169 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.61. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 1,230 base hits and 622 earned runs. They have allowed 177 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 471 batters and struck out 1,169. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.40 and their FIP as a unit is 4.46.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Minnesota is hitting .245, good for 18th in the league. The Twins hold a .406 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 20th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Joe Mauer is hitting .278 with an on-base percentage of .350. He has 110 hits this season in 396 at bats with 39 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .379 and an OPS+ of 98. Max Kepler is hitting .226 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .316. He has totaled 103 hits and he has driven in 47 men in 456 at bats. His OPS+ is 97 while his slugging percentage is at .419. The Twins have 1,135 hits, including 265 doubles and 146 home runs. Minnesota has walked 447 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,136 times as a unit. They have left 904 men on base and have a team OPS of .720. They score 4.44 runs per contest and have scored a total of 604 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 84-53 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.78, Justin Verlander has a 13-9 record and a 0.95 WHIP. He has 240 strikeouts over the 181 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 140 hits. He's allowing 7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.09. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.97 and they have given up 317 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 484 batters and walked 106 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.5 batters per nine innings. They are 1st in the league in team earned run average at 3.13. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 983 base knocks and 428 earned runs this season. They have given up 128 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 359 hitters and struck out 1,437 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.09 while their FIP as a staff is 3.19.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .256, good for 7th in the league. The Astros hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 8th in MLB with 8.7 hits per contest. Yuli Gurriel comes into this matchup batting .275 with an OBP of .309. He has 124 hits this year along with 64 RBI in 451 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .397 with an OPS+ of 96. Alex Bregman is hitting .292 this season and he has an OBP of .392. He has collected 150 hits in 514 at bats while driving in 88 runs. He has an OPS+ of 157 and a slugging percentage of .537. The Astros as a unit have 1,186 base hits, including 246 doubles and 176 homers. Houston has walked 476 times this year and they have struck out on 1,031 occasions. They have had 889 men left on base and have an OPS of .759. They have scored 4.94 runs per game and totaled 677 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Twins +127

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