Minnesota Twins at Houston Astros Expert MLB Picks Against the Spread 4/24/2019

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Minute Maid Park

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Zack Littell vs. Justin Verlander

The Minnesota Twins visit Minute Maid Park on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 to play the Houston Astros. The probable starters are Zack Littell for the Twins and Justin Verlander for the Astros.

The opening line for this matchup has Minnesota at +109 and Houston at -119. The Twins have a 12-8-0 over/under record and a 9-11-0 run line mark. The Astros are 8-14-0 against the run line and have a 9-13-0 over/under record.

Valuable Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 12-8-0 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 9-11-0 against the run line

Important Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 9-13-0 against the over/under

The Houston Astros are 8-14-0 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 13-7 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Zack Littell is one of the options being considered to take the rotation spot. It'd be his debut this season. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.71 and they have given up 71 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the bullpen and they've struck out 72 hitters and walked 39 batters. As a team, Minnesota allows 8.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.5 batters per nine innings. They are 17th in the league in team earned run average at 4.5. The Twins pitchers collectively have given up 168 base hits and 89 earned runs. They have allowed 24 home runs this season, ranking them 23rd in the league. Minnesota as a pitching staff has walked 71 batters and struck out 169. They have walked 3.6 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.5 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 .277, good for 1st in the league. The Twins hold a .512 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .345, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 2nd in MLB with 9.6 hits per game. Jorge Polanco is hitting .392 with an on-base percentage of .452. He has 29 hits this season in 74 at bats with 9 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .716 and an OPS+ of 207. Max Kepler is hitting .246 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .338. He has totaled 16 hits and he has driven in 9 men in 65 at bats. His OPS+ is 105 while his slugging percentage is at .431. The Twins have 191 hits, including 49 doubles and 35 home runs. Minnesota has walked 63 times so far this season and they have struck out 142 times as a unit. They have left 126 men on base and have a team OPS of .857. They score 5.8 runs per contest and have scored a total of 116 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Houston has a 13-9 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.00, Justin Verlander has a 3-0 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 38 strikeouts over the 30 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 21 hits. He's allowing 6.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.93. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.00 and they have given up 45 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .191 against the Astros bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 74 batters and walked 21 opposing hitters. As a team, Houston allows 7.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.7 batters per nine innings. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.79. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 149 base knocks and 80 earned runs this season. They have given up 24 home runs this year, which ranks 24th in Major League Baseball. Houston as a staff has walked 55 hitters and struck out 205 batters. They give up a walk 2.6 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.07 while their FIP as a staff is 3.56.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .277, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .487 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .352, which is good for 4th in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.4 hits per contest. George Springer comes into this matchup batting .273 with an OBP of .363. He has 24 hits this year along with 18 RBI in 88 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .557 with an OPS+ of 145. Michael Brantley is hitting .310 this season and he has an OBP of .366. He has collected 26 hits in 84 at bats while driving in 15 runs. He has an OPS+ of 135 and a slugging percentage of .512. The Astros as a unit have 207 base hits, including 42 doubles and 37 homers. Houston has walked 82 times this year and they have struck out on 164 occasions. They have had 164 men left on base and have an OPS of .839. They have scored 4.68 runs per game and totaled 103 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins +109

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