Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 4/23/2019

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Michael Pineda vs. Wade Miley

The Minnesota Twins visit Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Michael Pineda for the Twins and Wade Miley for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +126 and Houston at -136. The Twins have a 11-8-0 over/under record and a 8-11-0 run line mark. The Astros are 8-13-0 against the run line and have a 8-13-0 over/under record.

Valuable Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 11-8-0 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 8-11-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 8-13-0 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 8-13-0 against the run line

Key Minnesota Twins Injuries

04/21/19 RF Max Kepler Illness is questionable Monday vs Houston Astros
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 12-7 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Michael Pineda has a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 5.30 and a WHIP of 1.23 this season. He has 16 strikeouts over his 18.2 innings pitched and he's given up 20 hits. He's allowed 9.6 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.64. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.54 and they have given up 68 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .259 against the bullpen and they've struck out 71 hitters and walked 36 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. Jorge Polanco is hitting .369 with an on-base percentage of .432. He has 24 hits this season in 65 at bats with 5 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .662 and an OPS+ of 189. Max Kepler is hitting .242 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .319. He has totaled 15 hits and he has driven in 8 men in 62 at bats. His OPS+ is 101 while his slugging percentage is at .435. 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 13-8 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.32, Wade Miley has a 1-2 record and a 1.20 WHIP. He has 11 strikeouts over the 21.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 22 hits. He's allowing 9.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.97. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.47 and they have given up 39 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .178 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 71 batters and walked 19 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. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .278 with an OBP of .370. He has 22 hits this year along with 17 RBI in 79 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .557 with an OPS+ of 147. Michael Brantley is hitting .307 this season and he has an OBP of .373. He has collected 23 hits in 75 at bats while driving in 12 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .453. 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 +126

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