Ervin Santana (1-2, 3.38 ERA) and Marco Estrada (1-2, 2.89 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a four-game series between the Minnesota Twins (10-29) and the Toronto Blue Jays (19-23) at Target Field. The Blue Jays come into this series hoping to snap a five-game losing streak. Action begins at 8:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 19 and can be seen on FSN and RSN.
Santana pitched 6.0 innings in his last outing, surrendering one run, striking out five and walking one in a 6-3 win over the Indians. Eduardo Nunez (.340, 15 Rs, 2 HRs, 14 RBIs, 7 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one run. Estrada went 6.0 innings, surrendering five runs (one unearned), striking out five and walking four in a 6-5 defeat to the Rangers in his most recent start. Michael Saunders (.311, 19 Rs, 6 HRs, 13 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
The odds for Minnesota and Toronto are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Twins have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 0.0 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 0.0 runs per game. Minnesota’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 0.0 runs per game, well under their season average of 0.0.
Offensively, the Blue Jays have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 0.0 runs per game by averaging 0.0 during that stretch. Moving on to Toronto’s pitching staff and defense, the Blue Jays allow just three runs per road game, ranking them third in the AL.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Toronto is 6-11, while Minnesota is 4-12.
The Blue Jays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Twins have a 1-4 record when opponents give up one walk or less.
When they outhit their opponents, the Twins are 7-5. The Blue Jays have a 13-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 28th, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 141 this season. Toronto ranks in the bottom half at 17th with 168.
Ranking 18th, Minnesota is in the bottom half of the league in walks, notching 120 this season. Toronto ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 154.
When the Twins hit at least one home run, they are 8-18. When the Blue Jays hit at least one homer, they have a 16-13 record.
