Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 4/22/2019

Monday, April 22, 2019
Minute Maid Park
Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.
Probable Pitchers: Jake Odorizzi vs. Brad Peacock
The Minnesota Twins visit Minute Maid Park on Monday, April 22, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Jake Odorizzi for the Twins and Brad Peacock for the Astros.
The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +173 and Houston at -183. The Twins have a 11-7-0 over/under record and a 8-10-0 run line mark. The Astros are 8-12-0 against the run line and have a 7-13-0 over/under record.
Valuable Minnesota Twins Betting Trends
The Minnesota Twins are 11-7-0 against the over/under
The Minnesota Twins are 8-10-0 against the run line
Important Houston Astros Betting Trends
The Houston Astros are 7-13-0 against the over/under
The Houston Astros are 8-12-0 against the run line
Key Minnesota Twins Injuries
03/28/19 P Addison Reed Thumb 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Gabriel Moya Heel 10-day IL (03/28)
03/28/19 P Matt Magill Shoulder 10-day IL (03/28)
03/25/19 3B Miguel Sano Heel 10-day IL (03/25)
Key Houston Astros Injuries
03/28/19 P Joe Smith Achilles 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Lance McCullers Jr Elbow 10-day IL (03/25); is out for season
Useful Pitching Statistics
The Twins have a 11-7 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jake Odorizzi has a 1-2 record with an earned run average of 4.76 and a WHIP of 1.18 this season. He has 21 strikeouts over his 17 innings pitched and he's given up 10 hits. He's allowed 5.3 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.16. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.62 and they have given up 64 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the bullpen and they've struck out 67 hitters and walked 34 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.56. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 148 base hits and 81 earned runs. They have allowed 22 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 66 batters and struck out 156. They have walked 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.34 and their FIP as a unit is 4.23.
Hitting Statistics
As a team Minnesota is hitting .275, good for 1st in the league. The Twins hold a .518 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .343, which is good for 8th in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.4 hits per game. Max Kepler is hitting .242 with an on-base percentage of .319. He has 15 hits this season in 62 at bats with 8 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .435 and an OPS+ of 101. Jorge Polanco is hitting .369 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .432. He has totaled 24 hits and he has driven in 5 men in 65 at bats. His OPS+ is 189 while his slugging percentage is at .662. The Twins have 170 hits, including 43 doubles and 33 home runs. Minnesota has walked 55 times so far this season and they have struck out 132 times as a unit. They have left 111 men on base and have a team OPS of .860. They score 5.72 runs per contest and have scored a total of 103 runs this year.
Useful Pitching Statistics
Houston has a 13-7 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.94, Brad Peacock has a 2-0 record and a 0.81 WHIP. He has 15 strikeouts over the 16 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 10 hits. He's allowing 5.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.41. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.51 and they have given up 37 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .181 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 66 batters and walked 16 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 6.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.23. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 127 base knocks and 62 earned runs this season. They have given up 20 home runs this year, which ranks 26th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 46 hitters and struck out 194 batters. They give up a walk 2.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 10.1 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.00 while their FIP as a staff is 3.26.
Hitting Statistics
As a team, they are batting .274, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .470 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .349, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 7th in MLB with 9.3 hits per contest. Michael Brantley comes into this matchup batting .307 with an OBP of .373. He has 23 hits this year along with 12 RBI in 75 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .453 with an OPS+ of 124. George Springer is hitting .278 this season and he has an OBP of .370. He has collected 22 hits in 79 at bats while driving in 17 runs. He has an OPS+ of 147 and a slugging percentage of .557. The Astros as a unit have 185 base hits, including 40 doubles and 30 homers. Houston has walked 73 times this year and they have struck out on 155 occasions. They have had 148 men left on base and have an OPS of .819. They have scored 4.4 runs per game and totaled 88 runs this season.
Who will win tonight's Twins/Astros MLB game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take the Twins +173
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