Ricky Nolasco (1-1, 10.12 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (15-13) meet Drew Pomeranz (1-2, 4.61 ERA) and the Oakland Athletics (12-17) in the last of a four-game series at Target Field. The Twins won the last game 13-0 and Minnesota leads the series 2-1. The game starts at 1:10 p.m. ET on Thursday, May. 7 and will air on MLB Network.
Nolasco is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA against the Athletics in his career, but faces a strong Oakland offense that’s hitting .265 on the year. Trevor Plouffe (.267, 13 Rs, 5 HRs, 17 RBIs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs. The Athletics were unsuccessful to the Rangers 8-7 the last time Pomeranz pitched. He went 5.1 innings, giving up three runs, striking out four and walking one. Josh Reddick (.372, 14 Rs, 4 HRs, 20 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. Over their past 10 games, Minnesota’s offense has been playing lights out, averaging 5.8 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.2.
Oakland is one of the top hitting teams in the AL with an average of 9.4 hits per contest. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Oakland batters, who rank second in the AL with 6.2 strikeouts per game.
The Twins are 2-1 against the Athletics this season. The Twins will take on a left-hander (Pomeranz) in this game and have a 7-5 record against left-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Nolasco will take the mound against the Athletics, who have an 11-12 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – OAK, O/U – Over
Notes
Minnesota earned its fourth shutout of the season in its last game. Oakland has been shut out two times this season.
The Twins are 2-0 in games that go into extra innings. Meanwhile, the Athletics are 0-4 in such matchups.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Athletics are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Twins have a 4-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Athletics are 10-3. The Twins have a 12-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking ninth in runs, Minnesota has earned 127 this season. Oakland ranks second with 140 runs.
Ranking 21st, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 72 this season. Oakland ranks in the bottom half at 16th with 84.
When the Twins hit at least one home run, they are 11-3. When the Athletics hit at least one homer, they have a 9-6 record.
