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This free baseball pick is courtesy of Pregame.com.
The Minnesota Twins host the Texas Rangers in an AL clash taking place on ESPN at 8:05 EDT tonight. The Twins are proving to be one of the elite teams in baseball this season. The Rangers are in the process of proving their worth as well. The Twins are -140 favorites, with a total of 8.5 runs expected tonight.
Minnesota is yet again going about their business very quietly. Only 1 team in the American League has a better record than the Twins do. Minnesota is 29-20 on the season, and have won 3 consecutive games heading into tonight's contest. Offensively, the Twins have scored 8 runs in 2 of their past 3 contests. Minnesota has allowed their opponents 3 runs or fewer in each of their past 5 games. P Scott Baker will take the mound today, and he's hoping to improve on his recent poor play. Baker is 4-4 this year, with an ERA of 4.48 and a WHIP of 1.33. The Twins are 5-1 in their last 6 games against a starter with a WHIP less than 1.15. Minnesota is 38-14 in their last 52 home games against a left-handed starter. The Twins are 7-0 in Bakers last 7 starts as a home favorite of -110 to -150. Minnesota is 8-3 in Bakers last 11 home starts against a team with a winning record.
The Twins are 5-0 in their last 5 against the American League West. The Under is 12-3 in their last 15 games when their opponent allows 5 runs or more in their previous game.
Texas has struggled of late, and it's because of their pitching. The Rangers have allowed 5 runs or more in 5 of their past 6 games. The Rangers organization stresses long outings from their starting rotation, but some people are wondering if this staff is already wearing down. Texas has lost their past 3 games heading into tonight's game. The Rangers are 26-23 this year, yet are only 8-14 on the road this season. Lefty Derek Holland will look to continue his brilliant start to this season. Holland is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.95 and a WHIP of 1.04 this year. The Rangers are 1-6 in their last 7 road games against a right-handed starter. Texas is 1-8 in their last 9 road games. The Rangers are 3-7 in Hollands last 10 starts overall. Texas is 1-6 in Hollands last 7 starts as an underdog of +110 to +150.
The Rangers are 5-13 in their last 18 games as an underdog of +110 to +150. The Under is 8-1 in their last 9 games after allowing 5 runs or more in their previous game. Right field slugger Nelson Cruz is listed as Questionable tonight with a hamstring injury.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 6-3 in favor of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins -140 is the Side of the Day!
