Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins Expert MLB Picks 4/18/2019

Thursday, April 18, 2019

Target Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Clay Buchholz vs. Michael Pineda

The Toronto Blue Jays visit Target Field on Thursday, April 18, 2019 to play the Minnesota Twins. The probable starters are Clay Buchholz for the Blue Jays and Michael Pineda for the Twins.

The opening line for this matchup has Toronto at +141 and Minnesota at -151. The Blue Jays have a 7-11-0 over/under record and a 9-9-0 run line mark. The Twins are 6-8-0 against the run line and have a 8-6-0 over/under record.

Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 7-11-0 against the over/under

The Toronto Blue Jays are 9-9-0 against the run line

Important Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 8-6-0 against the over/under

The Minnesota Twins are 6-8-0 against the run line

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

04/16/19 P Ryan Borucki Elbow 60-day IL (03/25)
04/03/19 CF Dalton Pompey Concussion 60-day IL (04/02)
03/31/19 P Clayton Richard Knee 10-day IL (03/31)
03/28/19 P David Phelps Elbow 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 LF Jonathan Davis Ankle 10-day IL (03/25)
03/28/19 P Ryan Tepera Elbow 10-day IL (03/25)
03/25/19 2B Devon Travis Knee 60-day IL (03/25)

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)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Blue Jays have a 7-11 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz has a 0-0 record with an earned run average of 1.50 and a WHIP of 1.00 this season. He has 2 strikeouts over his 6 innings pitched and he's given up 6 hits. He's allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 2.47. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.09 and they have given up 50 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .204 against the bullpen and they've struck out 79 hitters and walked 29 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 7.2 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.47. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 128 base hits and 62 earned runs. They have allowed 19 home runs this season, ranking them 21st in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 69 batters and struck out 175. They have walked 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 3.96.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .213, good for 24th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .354 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .292, which is good for 25th in baseball. They rank 25th in MLB with 6.9 hits per game. Teoscar Hernandez is hitting .250 with an on-base percentage of .338. He has 14 hits this season in 56 at bats with 11 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .375 and an OPS+ of 99. Freddy Galvis is hitting .328 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .357. He has totaled 22 hits and he has driven in 11 men in 67 at bats. His OPS+ is 162 while his slugging percentage is at .612. The Blue Jays have 124 hits, including 30 doubles and 16 home runs. Toronto has walked 57 times so far this season and they have struck out 183 times as a unit. They have left 103 men on base and have a team OPS of .646. They score 3.72 runs per contest and have scored a total of 67 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Minnesota has a 8-6 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 3.00, Michael Pineda has a 2-0 record and a 1.00 WHIP. He has 15 strikeouts over the 15 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 13 hits. He's allowing 7.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.27. The bullpen has an earned run average of 5.07 and they have given up 50 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .256 against the Twins bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 53 batters and walked 34 opposing hitters. As a team, Minnesota allows 7.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.3 batters per nine innings. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.43. The Twins pitchers as a team have surrendered 107 base knocks and 61 earned runs this season. They have given up 13 home runs this year, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball. Minnesota as a staff has walked 60 hitters and struck out 128 batters. They give up a walk 4.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.3 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.35 while their FIP as a staff is 3.94.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .266, good for 8th in the league. The Twins hold a .474 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .340, which is good for 11th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.9 hits per contest. Jorge Polanco comes into this matchup batting .415 with an OBP of .467. He has 22 hits this year along with 5 RBI in 53 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .755 with an OPS+ of 225. Max Kepler is hitting .259 this season and he has an OBP of .333. He has collected 14 hits in 54 at bats while driving in 8 runs. He has an OPS+ of 114 and a slugging percentage of .463. The Twins as a unit have 125 base hits, including 30 doubles and 20 homers. Minnesota has walked 45 times this year and they have struck out on 103 occasions. They have had 87 men left on base and have an OPS of .814. They have scored 5.21 runs per game and totaled 73 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Twins -151

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