The Oakland Athletics will go for their fourth straight win as they play host to the Minnesota Twins at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The game gets underway 9:05 p.m. ET and NBC Sports – California is in line to broadcast this AL showdown.
Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics Odds
Minnesota (+220) is the underdog to Oakland (-240) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this night game at 8.5 runs. Odds for wagering on the game’s total stand at -120 for the over and +100 for the under. Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the most recent odds standing at Twins +1.5 runs (+100) and Athletics -1.5 runs (-120).
The Twins are 71-82 SU and are 78-74 against the spread (ATS). They’ve lost 11.1 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 0.1 units ATS. Minnesota’s covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Athletics, on the other hand, are 93-61 SU and 82-71 ATS. The team has gained 35.5 units for moneyline bettors and 11.1 units ATS. Oakland has a 3-4 ATS record over its last seven outings and the total has gone over in five of those seven.
Neither side has positioned itself as an obvious over/under play this year. Oakland games have a 73-71-9 over/under record in 2018. The Twins have an over/under record of 75-74-3.
The right-handed Chase De Jong is the probable starter for the visiting Twins. De Jong is 0-1 with a 3.68 ERA and nine strikeouts. He has yet to face the Athletics this year and only made one start against them in 2017 (0-0, 3.60 ERA and six strikeouts across 10 innings).
The Athletics are putting the ball in the hands of righty Mike Fiers (12-7, 3.38 ERA), who has 131 strikeouts and 36 walks to his name, as well as a WHIP of 1.17. Fiers is 1-0 with seven strikeouts and a 1.59 ERA in one start against Minnesota this year.
Oakland’s pitchers have allowed 4.1 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. Its starters have an ERA of 4.12, a WHIP of 1.23 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 6.6. The bullpen has a 3.37 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 8.8 K/9.
The Oakland hitters have put up 5.0 runs per outing, including 7.2 per game over its last 10 games and 9.8 per game over their last five. The team has slashed .292/.392/.485 over its last five matchups and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Shortstop Marcus Semien and second baseman Jed Lowrie have led the Athletics’ hitters this year. Semien is slashing .259/.324/.381 with 12 home runs, 62 RBIs, 85 runs and 14 stolen bases, and Lowrie is hitting .267 with 21 homers, 94 RBIs and 75 runs.
In the visiting dugout, Minnesota’s pitching staff allowed 4.9 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 4.61 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 8.28 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 4.62, along with a K/9 of 9.01.
The Twins offense has slashed .247/.317/.404 on its way to 4.5 runs scored per game this year, including 5.8 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 6.8 per game over the team’s last five contests (4-1 SU).
Left fielder Eddie Rosario and first baseman Joe Mauer continue to lead Minnesota’s offense. Rosario is slashing .288/.323/.479 with 24 home runs, 77 RBIs and 87 runs scored, while Mauer (.273/.343/.373) is up to six homers, 45 RBIs and 54 runs scored.
The Twins have lost 3.9 units and are 57-52 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has hit in 56 of those games, compared to 51 that’ve hit the under in such games. On the other hand, the Athletics have netted 30.3 units and are 52-46 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over has hit in 49 of those games, compared to 45 that went under.
Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Athletics, ATS Winner – Twins, O/U – OVER
