Lance McCullers (5-5, 3.21 ERA) and Ervin Santana (3-4, 5.40 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Houston Astros (74-61) and the Minnesota Twins (69-65) at Minute Maid Park. The Astros won the last game 8-0 and Houston leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sep. 5 and can be seen on FSN, RTSW and MLBN.
McCullers pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs, striking out six and walking four in a 7-5 defeat to the Twins. George Springer (.264, 44 Rs, 13 HRs, 29 RBIs, 14 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Santana went 7.0 innings, surrendering zero runs and striking out 10 in a 7-5 win over the Astros in his last outing.
Houston is a -169 favorite against Minnesota and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. The Astros have an overall money line of +553 and a record as the favorite of 43-33. Houston is one of the best in the MLB in terms of steals, swiping 100 bases. As for the pitchers, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Astros, who have a team ERA of only 3.30. The Astros are the second-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.18 so far this season. Opponents have consistently been struck out by the Astros, who rank fifth in the AL in strikeouts per game with 7.8.
In games where it is the underdog, Minnesota has a 53-53 record and an overall money line of +1,913. They played solid baseball as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 6-2 record, and a 7-3 record SU.
The Astros have a 47-40 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Santana takes the mound. McCullers (RHP) will be on the hill against the Twins, who have a 44-43 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Houston is 30-21, while Minnesota is 24-23.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Twins are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Astros have a 13-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they outhit their opponents, the Astros are 53-15. The Twins have a 47-6 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 12th, Minnesota sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 579 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at eighth with 586.
Ranking 23rd, Minnesota is near the bottom of the league in walks, notching 337 this season. Houston ranks in the top 10 at 10th with 402.
When the Astros hit at least one home run, they are 61-36, well-matched with the Twins who are 53-29 when hitting one or more homers.
