Ervin Santana (2-4, 6.05 ERA) and Lance McCullers (5-4, 3.12 ERA) take the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Minnesota Twins (66-63) and the Houston Astros (72-58) at Target Field. The Astros won the last game 4-1 and the series is currently tied 1-1. Action begins at 2:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 30 and can be seen on FSN and RTSW.
Santana pitched 2.2 innings in his last outing, surrendering five runs, striking out one and walking two in an 11-7 defeat to the Rays. Brian Dozier (.245, 88 Rs, 26 HRs, 66 RBIs, 10 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 4. McCullers went 7.0 innings, surrendering two runs and striking out eight in a 3-2 defeat to the Dodgers in his most recent start. George Springer (.264, 43 Rs, 13 HRs, 29 RBIs, 14 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run and one stolen base.
Houston takes on Minnesota as a -130 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Twins have an overall money line of +1,761 and a record as the underdog of 51-52. Minnesota has gone 7-3 in its last 10 as underdog. The Twins have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.6 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.3 runs per game.
In games where it is the favorite, Houston has a 41-30 record and an overall money line of +807. The Astros are an excellent base stealing team with 98 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB. Houston’s pitching staff has set the standard for its league, with an AL-low 3.25 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Astros are one of the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.17 for the season.
The Twins have a 43-41 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when McCullers takes the mound. Santana (RHP) will be on the hill against the Astros, who have a 46-38 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Houston is 29-20, while Minnesota is 21-22.
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 12th, Houston sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 553 this season. Minnesota ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 556.
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.
The Twins are 50-28 when they hit at least one home run. The Astros perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 59-34 record.
