Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros 9/5/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jake Odorizzi vs. Framber Valdez

Minute Maid Park is the site of the matchup between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros on Wednesday, September 5, 2018. The probable starting pitchers are Jake Odorizzi for the Twins and Framber Valdez for the Astros.

Minnesota opens at +184 while Houston opens at -198. The Twins have a 65-68-4 over/under record and a 70-67-0 run line mark. The Astros are 70-68-0 against the run line and have a 60-71-7 over/under record.

Valuable Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 65-68-4 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 70-67-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 60-71-7 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 70-68-0 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

09/03/18 P Hector Rondon Wrist left last game, is questionable for next start
09/03/18 LF Marwin Gonzalez Oblique left last game, is questionable Tuesday vs Minnesota Twins
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 63-74 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi has a 5-9 record with an earned run average of 4.41 and a WHIP of 1.35 this year. He has 144 strikeouts over his 143 innings pitched and he's given up 136 hits. He's allowed 8.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.11. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.60 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 170 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 23rd in the league in team earned run average at 4.59. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 1,234 base hits and 624 earned runs. They have allowed 179 home runs this season, ranking them 5th in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 473 batters and struck out 1,174. They have walked 3.5 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.6 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 16th in the league. The Twins hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .314, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 17th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Max Kepler is hitting .225 with an on-base percentage of .317. He has 103 hits this season in 457 at bats with 47 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .418 and an OPS+ of 98. Joe Mauer is hitting .279 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .350. He has totaled 112 hits and he has driven in 39 men in 401 at bats. His OPS+ is 99 while his slugging percentage is at .379. The Twins have 1,143 hits, including 266 doubles and 146 home runs. Minnesota has walked 450 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,149 times as a unit. They have left 915 men on base and have a team OPS of .719. They score 4.42 runs per contest and have scored a total of 605 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 85-53 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 1.26, Framber Valdez has a 2-1 record and a 0.91 WHIP this season. He has 10 strikeouts over the 14.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 6 hits. He allows 3.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.85. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.94 and they have given up 320 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .211 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 491 batters and walked 107 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 3.1. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 991 base knocks and 428 earned runs this season. They have given up 128 home runs this year, which ranks 29th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 362 hitters and struck out 1,450 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 3.17.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 8th in the league. The Astros hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .328, which is good for 7th in baseball. They rank 10th in MLB with 8.6 hits per contest. Alex Bregman comes into this matchup batting .292 with an OBP of .393. He has 151 hits this year along with 89 RBI in 517 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .542 with an OPS+ of 159. Yuli Gurriel is hitting .275 this season and he has an OBP of .309. He has collected 125 hits in 454 at bats while driving in 65 runs. He has an OPS+ of 98 and a slugging percentage of .403. The Astros as a unit have 1,190 base hits, including 246 doubles and 178 homers. Houston has walked 478 times this year and they have struck out on 1,036 occasions. They have had 891 men left on base and have an OPS of .758. They have scored 4.93 runs per game and totaled 681 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Twins +184

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