Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 8/31/2019

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Comerica Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Martin Perez vs. Matthew Boyd

Comerica Park is the venue where Brandon Dixon and the Detroit Tigers (39-92, 5th in AL Central) will play the Minnesota Twins (82-51, 1st in AL Central) on Saturday. The Twins open this contest at -148 while the Tigers are coming in at +138. The total opens at 9.5.

The Twins have been excellent for MLB wagerers, having gone 82-51-0 SU. The Tigers are covering 29.8% of the time, going 39-92-0 straight up.

Valuable Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Twins have been a hot and cold Under choice for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 69-57-7.

The Twins are covering 66.1% of the time as the away team, having gone 43-22-0 straight up.

Important Detroit Tigers Betting Trends

Detroit is covering 27.0% of the time at Comerica Park, going 17-46-0 SU.

The Tigers have been a hot and cold Under choice for over/under MLB bettors, having gone 59-63-9.

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Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

8/29/2019 Max Kepler RF Knee Probable for Aug 30
8/29/2019 Marwin Gonzalez RF Abdomen Probable for Aug 30
8/29/2019 Miguel Sano 3B Forearm Probable for Aug 30
8/27/2019 Byron Buxton CF Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 16
8/16/2019 LaMonte Wade RF Thumb Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/6/2019 Willians Astudillo C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 1

Key Detroit Tigers Injuries

8/29/2019 Miguel Cabrera DH Biceps Probable for Aug 30
8/28/2019 Niko Goodrum SS Groin Out for the season
8/14/2019 JaCoby Jones CF Wrist Out for the season
8/14/2019 Blaine Hardy RP Elbow Out for the season
8/11/2019 Tyson Ross SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 11
4/30/2019 Matt Moore SP Knee Out for the season
3/23/2019 Michael Fulmer SP Elbow Out for the season
10/25/2019 Artie Lewicki RP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Twins have a 82-51 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Martin Perez has a 9-5 record with an earned run average of 4.53 and a WHIP of 1.45 this season. He has 116 strikeouts over his 139 innings pitched and he's given up 144 hits. He's allowed 9.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.52. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.28 and they have given up 459 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the bullpen and they've struck out 466 hitters and walked 152 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine innings. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 1,193 base hits and 553 earned runs. They have allowed 162 home runs this season, ranking them 25th in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 375 batters and struck out 1,166. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.7 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.30 and their FIP as a unit is 4.08.

Related: Get MLB tips & picks on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Minnesota is hitting .272, good for 4th in the league. The Twins hold a .502 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .338, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.6 hits per game. Max Kepler is hitting .254 with an on-base percentage of .334. He has 122 hits this season in 481 at bats with 86 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .532 and an OPS+ of 124. Jorge Polanco is hitting .296 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .361. He has totaled 157 hits and he has driven in 66 men in 530 at bats. His OPS+ is 123 while his slugging percentage is at .491. The Twins have 1,283 hits, including 269 doubles and 261 home runs. Minnesota has walked 421 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,091 times as a unit. They have left 910 men on base and have a team OPS of .840. They score 5.88 runs per contest and have scored a total of 782 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Detroit has a 39-92 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.47, Matthew Boyd has a 6-10 record and a 1.18 WHIP. He has 208 strikeouts over the 159 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 145 hits. He's allowing 8.2 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.14. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.98 and they have given up 517 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .260 against the Tigers bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 458 batters and walked 234 opposing hitters. As a team, Detroit allows 9.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.4 batters per nine innings. They are 28th in the league in team earned run average at 5.11. The Tigers pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,240 base knocks and 666 earned runs this season. They have given up 206 home runs this year, which ranks 7th in Major League Baseball. Detroit as a staff has walked 443 hitters and struck out 1,095 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.44 while their FIP as a staff is 4.90.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .236, good for 30th in the league. The Tigers hold a .384 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .292, which is good for 30th in baseball. They rank 28th in MLB with 8.1 hits per contest. Brandon Dixon comes into this matchup batting .246 with an OBP of .286. He has 82 hits this year along with 44 RBI in 334 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .437 with an OPS+ of 87. Miguel Cabrera is hitting .279 this season and he has an OBP of .341. He has collected 118 hits in 423 at bats while driving in 50 runs. He has an OPS+ of 92 and a slugging percentage of .388. The Tigers as a unit have 1,069 base hits, including 241 doubles and 122 homers. Detroit has walked 332 times this year and they have struck out on 1,316 occasions. They have had 878 men left on base and have an OPS of .676. They have scored 3.58 runs per game and totaled 473 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins (-148)

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