Up against Mike Pelfrey (6-7, 3.69 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (66-62) in the second of a three-game series at Target Field, Mike Fiers (6-9, 3.62 ERA) gets the start for the Houston Astros (71-58) in his first start since delivering a no-hitter. The Twins won the last game 3-0 and Minnesota leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 29 and will air on FSN and RTSW.
In his last start, Pelfrey pitched 4.2 innings, allowing three runs, striking out three and walking one in a 4-3 loss to the Orioles. The Astros were victorious over the Dodgers 3-0 the last time Fiers pitched. He went 9.0 innings, giving up zero runs, striking out 10 and walking three. George Springer (.264, 43 Rs, 13 HRs, 29 RBIs, 14 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run and one stolen base.
Minnesota is a +135 underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. When playing as the underdog, the Twins have a 50-52 record and overall money line at +1,647. Over their past 10 games, Minnesota’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 6.0 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.3. Transitioning to the pitching staff, the Twins are the best in the AL in walks allowed at home, giving up just 2.2 per game.
Switching to the opposing bench, the Astros come into this game with a win percentage of .586 when playing as the favorite (41-29) and an overall money line of +931. Houston is the top hitting team in the league, converting .241 of their at-bats for hits. Houston is a terror on the base paths, ranking third in the MLB with 97 stolen bases. Switching gears to Houston’s pitching staff, they have the lowest ERA in the AL at 3.25. They have a WHIP of 1.17 on the year, good for second in the league.
The only other game between the two teams went Minnesota’s way. The Twins will take on a right-hander (Fiers) in this game and have a 43-41 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Astros will be the right-hander Pelfrey. They sport a 46-37 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
Minnesota has won 49% (21-22) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Houston has won 59% (29-20) of its games when taking a late lead.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Astros are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Twins have a 10-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 50-14. The Twins have a 45-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 11th in runs, Houston has earned 553 this season. Minnesota ranks 10th with 556 runs.
Ranking 23rd, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 318 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at ninth with 387.
When the Twins hit at least one home run, they are 50-28, well-matched with the Astros who are 59-34 when hitting one or more homers.
