The Oakland Athletics are ready to take the field against the Minnesota Twins in a Saturday showdown. NBC Sports – California will be televising this AL matchup and the action gets going at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Oakland Athletics vs. Minnesota Twins Odds
Oakland (receiving +135) is the underdog against Minnesota (-145) and Vegas has put the Over/Under for this one at 10.5 runs. Odds for betting on the game’s total now stand at -115 for the over and -105 for the under. Runline odds sit at -160 for taking the Athletics +1.5 runs and +140 for the Twins -1.5 runs.
The Twins are 59-37 straight up (SU) and 53-42 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 15.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline and 8.7 units ATS. Minnesota has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the under has hit in six of those seven. The Athletics have gone 56-42 SU this year and are 51-46 against the spread. Overall, the team’s accumulated 9.5 units for moneyline bettors and 2.5 units ATS. Oakland has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven.
Neither team has been a strong over/under bet this year. Twins games have had an over/under record of 46-44-5 so far in 2019. Athletics games have gone over 47 times, gone under 47 times and pushed on three occasions.
The left-handed Brett Anderson is the projected starter for Oakland. Anderson (9-5, 3.79 ERA) has racked up 55 punchouts in 109.1 innings so far. He has yet to face the Twins this year and did not record a start against them in 2018, either.
The Twins will put the ball in the right hand of Jose Berrios (8-5, 3.10 ERA), who has 110 strikeouts and 26 walks as well as a 1.14 WHIP. Berrios is 0-1 with two strikeouts and a 5.40 ERA in one start against Oakland this year.
As a unit, Minnesota’s pitchers have yielded 4.4 runs per game overall in 2019. Its starters have an ERA of 3.73, a WHIP of 1.19 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.2. The bullpen has a 4.26 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 9.4 K/9.
The Minnesota hitters have put up 5.6 runs per outing, including 5.2 per game over its last 10 games and 3.6 per game over their last five. The team’s hit .238/.324/.415 over its last five matchups and is 1-4 SU during that span.
Shortstop Jorge Polanco and outfielder Max Kepler have paced the Twins’ offense this year. Polanco is hitting .305/.362/.501 with 13 home runs, 44 RBIs and 58 runs scored, and Kepler’s line sits at .258/.328/.516 with 23 homers, 60 RBIs and 59 runs.
In the other dugout, Oakland’s pitching staff allowed 4.2 runs per game and its starters own a 3.99 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 6.86 K/9. The bullpen has logged an ERA of 3.89, along with a WHIP of 1.24.
Athletics hitters have slashed .250/.323/.451 on their way to 5.2 runs scored per game in 2019, including 6.3 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 6.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Shortstop Marcus Semien and third baseman Matt Chapman continue to lead Oakland’s hitters. Semien is slashing .273/.350/.464 with 15 home runs, 50 RBIs and 68 runs scored, while Chapman is slashing .279/.363/.552 with 22 homers, 59 RBIs and 63 runs scored.
The Athletics have gained 0.1 units and are 36-35 ATS when facing a righty starter this season. The over has hit in 33 of those games, compared to 36 that’ve gone under against right-handed starting pitchers. On the other hand, the Twins have lost 1.1 units and are 13-9 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over has cashed in 12 of those games, compared to eight that’ve gone under.
Athletics at Twins Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Twins, ATS Winner – Athletics, O/U – UNDER
Betting Trends
- Oakland has logged 22 extra-base hits over its last five outings. Minnesota has 15 XBH over its last five.
- The Athletics have an OPS of .774 this season and an OPS of .759 against right-handed pitchers. The Twins’ OPS sits at .831 overall and .821 against righties.
- The Athletics have won seven of their last eight games SU.
- Oakland has recorded 25.1 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 25.6 over its last five.
- The Athletics have hit 21 home runs in their last 10 games, including 11 over their last five.
