Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays 4/22/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Phil Hughes vs. Yonny Chirinos

The Minnesota Twins visit Tropicana Field on Sunday, April 22, 2018 to play the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable starters are Phil Hughes for the Twins and Yonny Chirinos for the Rays.

The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at -149 and Tampa Bay at +139. The Twins have a 5-9-0 over/under record and a 11-3-0 run line mark. The Rays are 9-10-0 against the run line and have a 12-7-0 over/under record.

Valuable Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 5-9-0 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 11-3-0 against the run line

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 12-7-0 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 9-10-0 against the run line

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

04/20/18 P Phil Hughes Oblique expect to start Sunday vs Tampa Bay Rays
04/18/18 CF Byron Buxton Migraine 10-day DL (04/15)
03/29/18 P Ervin Santana Finger 10-day DL (03/29)
03/28/18 SS Jorge Polanco Suspension 80-game suspension (eligible to return 06/30 vs Chicago Cubs)
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 Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

04/17/18 CF Kevin Kiermaier Thumb 60-day DL (04/16)
04/17/18 3B Matt Duffy Hamstring 10-day DL (04/17)
04/12/18 1B Brad Miller Groin 10-day DL (04/09)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)
03/29/18 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 10-day DL (03/28)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Twins have a 8-6 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Phil Hughes is expected to make his debut for Minnesota. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.27 and they have given up 49 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the bullpen and they've struck out 54 hitters and walked 24 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 7.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 9 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.3. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 109 base hits and 49 earned runs. They have allowed 12 home runs this season, ranking them 27th in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 61 batters and struck out 134. They have walked 4.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.27 and their FIP as a unit is 3.79.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Minnesota is hitting .230, good for 21st in the league. The Twins hold a .398 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306, which is good for 19th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.3 hits per game. Brian Dozier is hitting .290 with an on-base percentage of .362. He has 18 hits this season in 62 at bats with 7 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .532 and an OPS+ of 146. Joe Mauer is hitting .333 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .475. He has totaled 16 hits and he has driven in 6 men in 48 at bats. His OPS+ is 158 while his slugging percentage is at .438. The Twins have 116 hits, including 29 doubles and 18 home runs. Minnesota has walked 55 times so far this season and they have struck out 141 times as a unit. They have left 107 men on base and have a team OPS of .704. They score 4.36 runs per contest and have scored a total of 61 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 6-13 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 2.70, Yonny Chirinos has a 0-1 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 15 strikeouts over the 20 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 15 hits. He's allowing 6.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.49. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.10 and they have given up 79 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 73 batters and walked 38 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 25th in the league in team earned run average at 4.84. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 160 base knocks and 91 earned runs this season. They have given up 22 home runs this year, which ranks 11th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 76 hitters and struck out 159 batters. They give up a walk 4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.39 while their FIP as a staff is 4.43.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .238, good for 16th in the league. The Rays hold a .341 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .318, which is good for 15th in baseball. They rank 18th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Mallex Smith comes into this matchup batting .364 with an OBP of .417. He has 20 hits this year along with 3 RBI in 55 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .491 with an OPS+ of 161. Matt Duffy is hitting .267 this season and he has an OBP of .302. He has collected 16 hits in 60 at bats while driving in 7 runs. He has an OPS+ of 88 and a slugging percentage of .350. The Rays as a unit have 152 base hits, including 26 doubles and 10 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 70 times this year and they have struck out on 171 occasions. They have had 141 men left on base and have an OPS of .659. They have scored 3.68 runs per game and totaled 70 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Rays +139

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