Sonny Gray will get the start for the Twins (87-75, 47-34 home) as they host the Astros (90-72, 51-30 away) at Target Field. The Astros will give the starting nod to Cristian Javier. Check out my prediction for game one of this American League matchup between the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins.

HOUSTON ASTROS VS MINNESOTA TWINS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Houston Astros +113

This game will be played at Target Field at 4:07 ET on Tuesday, October 10th.

WHY BET THE HOUSTON ASTROS:

  • In their last five games as the underdog, the Astros have put together a record of 4-1.
  • The Astros head into the game having won four straight games.
  • Over his last five starts, Cristian Javier has an ERA of just 2.53.

HOUSTON ASTROS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN AL WEST

Houston comes into the game with an above .500 series record on the road at 17-6. Currently, the Astros are 2nd in the AL West with an overall record of 90-72. Against the runline, they are 82-82 and have an over/under mark of 86-73. On the road, Houston has a runline record of 48-33.

The Astros will rely on starter Cristian Javier, who has a 10-5 record in 31 appearances this season. His ERA is 4.56, and he has an impressive 8.83 K/9 rate. Additionally, his FIP stands at 4.58 and his OBP is .296.

Cristian Javier earned a quality start and the victory in his most recent outing, as the Astros defeated the Diamondbacks 8-1. The right-hander allowed no runs and three hits over six frames.

Across their last five games, the Astros’ offense is 10th in batting average, leading to an average of 4.2 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 5th ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .768 on 222 (6th). On average, they have struckout 7 times per game compard to 3.4 walks.

Yordan Alvarez has been a force to be reckoned with at the plate this season, boasting a .293 batting average and an impressive .583 slugging percentage. In the Astros’ last ten games, he has been on fire, leading the team in hits and batting an impressive .347.

WILL THE MINNESOTA TWINS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Overall, the Twins have a record of 87-75 which has them 1st in the AL Central. Minnesota has rattled off six straight series victories and have an overall series record of 28-19-5. This season, Minnesota is 47-34 at home and 40-41 on the road.

Today marks Sonny Gray’s 34th outing of the season, and his record stands at 8-8. His ERA is 2.79 and opponents’ OBP is .281. The right-hander has struck out 183 batters and has a WHIP of 1.15. On the road, Gray’s ERA is 2.97 compared to his 2.60 mark at home.

Minnesota is banking on Sonny Gray to lead them to another victory, having come away with a 2-0 win the last time he took the mound. Gray completed five innings of work, allowing five hits but no earned runs.

The Twins have been one of the top power lineups in the league of late, having hit 16 home runs over their last ten games. Compared to other clubs, this is 4th best in that span. For the season, they are ranked 3rd in home runs and 7th in slugging percentage. Overall, Minnesota is averaging 4.8 runs per game (10th).

The Twins’ Carlos Correa is the team’s leader in hits, boasting a .230 batting average. He currently has a .399 slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .312.