Chris Archer (11-9, 2.77 ERA), seeking his 200th strikeout of the season, gets the ball for the Tampa Bay Rays (62-63) as they meet Tyler Duffey (2-1, 4.60 ERA) and the Minnesota Twins (64-61) in the second of a three-game series at Tropicana Field. The Twins won the last game 11-7, extending a five-game winning streak. The game starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 26 and will air on SUN, FSN and MLBN.
In his most recent outing, Archer pitched 9.0 innings, giving up zero runs, striking out 11 and walking one in a 1-0 victory over the Astros. Logan Forsythe (.278, 53 Rs, 14 HRs, 52 RBIs, 9 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run. The Twins were also victorious the last time Duffey pitched. He had a good outing, pitching 7.2 innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight in a 15-2 victory over the Orioles. Eddie Rosario (.276, 45 Rs, 8 HRs, 32 RBIs, 9 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI.
Tampa Bay is a heavy -200 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Rays are 29-26 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -193. They have struggled as the favorite over their last 10 games, going 0-2. The Rays are the best in the AL in hits allowed, giving up just 7.9 per game. The have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out at Tropicana Field, leading the AL with 8.9 strikeouts per home game.
On the other side, the Twins have a record of 48-51 when they are the underdog and are +1,451 overall with the money line. They also allow just 2.5 walks per game, best in the AL.
In their previous four games this season, the Twins have a 3-1 record. The Rays will take on a right-hander (Duffey) in this game and have a 41-48 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Archer will take the mound against the Twins, who have a 41-41 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Under
Notes
The Rays managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Twins who are coming in with a 10-5 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
It looks like the Twins have a slight leg up on the Rays, as the Twins have won their last five games while the Rays have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 43-18. The Twins have a 44-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 29th, Tampa Bay is near the bottom of the league in runs, scoring 467 this season. Minnesota ranks in the top half at 11th with 544.
Ranking 23rd, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 313 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 337.
When the Rays hit at least one home run, they are 45-33. When the Twins hit at least one homer, they have a 48-27 record.
