Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros: Can the Astros turn things around?
The Houston Astros are hosting the Minnesota Twins tonight at Minute Maid Park to start a three-game series.
The Twins won the last three series
The Minnesota Twins are third in the AL Central with a 31-25 record. They have won 7 of the last 10 games, dropping only one game in each of the last three series against the Washington Nationals, Texas Rangers, and Kansas City Royals. The Twins are coming off a 7-6 win over the Royals. Minnesota has a 4.14 ERA, a. 241 batting average, a. 300 on-base percentage, and 1.21 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Willi Castro leads the team with 50 hits and 28 runs for the season, and Ryan Jeffers is on top with 12 home runs.
The Astros need to step up
The Houston Astros are third in the AL West with a 25-32 record. After losing three straight games to the Seattle Mariners, they avoided the sweep with a 4-0 win, which was their fourth win of the season without allowing a single run. The Astros have a 4.36 ERA, a .243 batting average, a .329 on-base percentage, and 1.36 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Jose Altuve leads the team with 68 hits and 34 runs for the season, and Kyle Tucker is tied for the top of the MLB with 18 home runs.
Betting Trends
The Astros have lost 4 of their last 6 games overall but are 7-3 SU in the last 10 home games and 4-2 SU in the last 6 games against teams from the AL Central Division. They have played over the total run line in 4 of the last 5 games against Minnesota and 5 of the last 6 against them when playing at home. The Astros have played under in their last six games overall and in the last five games against teams from the AL Central Division. The Twins are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games overall, 10-5 SU in their last 15 games on the road and 8-2 SU in their last 10 games against teams from the AL West Division. They have played under the total run line in 10 of the last 14 games against teams from the AL West Division.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Houston Astros are far from the record they had at this point last season and are already 5.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL West standings. They won only one game in a four-game series against the Mariners and will need to pick up their game now when they are back home. Joe Espada knows that, and he will go with Ronel Blanco on the mound. Blanco is a perfect 5-0 for the season with a 1.99 ERA, 51 K, 54.1 IP, and 1.01 WHIP. On the other side, the Twins bounced back by winning seven of their last nine games after losing seven straight. Minnesota will have Pablo Lopez tonight, who is 4-5 for the season with a 5.25 ERA, 69 K, 60 IP, and 1.17 WHIP. There is a major difference between the pitchers tonight, and the Astros need this game to turn things around, so we go with Houston winning tonight.
