Astros vs. Twins Pick
Can the Minnesota Twins avoid being swept at home by the Houston Astros when the two close out their series today at 1:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Astros are favored on the road, as they are getting odds of -135 to win, while the Twins are getting odds of +115 to win. The over/under total for the game is listed at 9.5 runs.
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The pitching matchup for today’s game has Hector Santiago (4-4, 4.31 ERA) on the mound for Minnesota to face David Paulino of the Astros. Paulino is making his first start and appearance of 2017 today. He has pitched three times in his MLB career, going 7 innings while giving up 4 earned runs with 3 walks and 2 strikeouts. Santiago didn’t start in his last appearance, but still gave up multiple runs in 1 inning of work. He has allowed multiple runs in his last eight appearances on the mound. He has 40 strikeouts and 22 walks in 56.1 innings this year and a WHIP of 1.35.
Houston picked up a 7-2 win on Tuesday and a 16-8 win on Monday. The Astros have now beaten the Twins in five straight meetings, all in Minnesota. The Astros are 37-16 overall and 17-6 on the road while the Twins are 26-22 overall and 12-17 at home.
The Astros did something Tuesday that many haven’t this season, hit Jose Berrios. They handed the Twins starter his first loss, chasing him after five innings and four runs. Mike Fiers lasted six innings, allowing 2 runs with eight strikeouts to earn his second win of 2017. Jose Altuve went 4-of-5 at the plate with two RBI while Alex Bregman had a pair of hits and drove in two runs for the Astros. The Twins managed just one extra-base hit in Tuesday’s loss. Byron Buxton was the lone player with multiple hits.
Amazingly, Minnesota seems to be a much better road team than a home team. The Twins have picked up big road wins, but can’t seem to figure it out at home consistently. Houston has been good everywhere and has looked very good in this series. Paulino is making his 2017 debut, but he has a good bullpen behind him that can clean up any mess he may have. Santiago isn’t someone the Twins can rely on and the Astros should stay hot at the plate against him.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: HOUSTON ASTROS -135