Friday evening brings more MLB action in Houston as the Astros continue their homestand with the first outing of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. At 7-3 across their last 10 outings, the home team looks to stay hot at Daikin Park against a visiting squad which shouldn’t be underestimated.
Here’s an Astros vs. Twins prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s action.
Astros vs. Twins prediction, preview
Houston Astros
The Astros are 38-30 as their lead in the AL West gradually grows. As mentioned in my Astros preview earlier in the week, this team has weathered plenty of poor circumstances already this season with significant injuries to its pitching staff and the uncertain status of Yordan Alvarez, who hasn’t played since early May due to a hand issue. They’ve succeeded in spite of these problems, but the latest shakeup comes after standout Isaac Paredes suffered a hamstring ailment last night.
The third baseman’s absence will certainly hurt the team’s offensive production. Still, the Astros are eighth in AVG and 14th in OPS this year, and over the last week they rank 13th in runs scored. Crossing home plate has been an issue this season, but Houston’s top-tier pitching staff has provided plenty of help in keeping them competitive.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins are 36-32, good for second place in the AL Central. They actually weathered a very slow start to the year of their own but rallied back above the .500 mark with an 18-8 record in May, and they’ve kept that success rolling for the most part as of late. While they’re just 5-5 over their last 10 games, Minnesota can be expected to make things competitive on any given night and should make this a fun matchup.
Their offense ranks 18th in AVG and 15th in OPS, just behind the Astros. They haven’t scored at a much higher rate than Houston, however, they’ve been very hot as of late and fall inside the top-six in most offensive categories over the last two weeks. Much like the opposition, the Twins’ pitching staff carries much of the load at ninth in WHIP, 10th in strikeouts, and 15th in ERA.
Astros vs. Twins pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook’s odds project a very close matchup this evening. The Twins are actually slight favorites to win on the road at -113 odds on the Moneyline, while the Astros are -108 on the Moneyline to win outright. The game total sits at eight combined runs.
Colton Gordon starts for the Astros this evening. The rookie left-hander has thrown 24.2 innings across five starts this season with a 5.11 ERA and 1.38 WHIP with 25 strikeouts. As for the opposition’s starter, right-hander Chris Paddack takes the mound for Minnesota with a 3.53 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He’s not a strikeout threat with just 52 across 71.1 innings, but he gets the job done without allowing a ton of runners to reach base.
In their first game without Paredes, I’m hesitant to take Houston to begin with, even on the run line. My concerns are only exacerbated with Gordon starting, so the best advice I can offer is to stay away from the Astros’ game lines this evening. With that said, I do think bettors can capitalize on Gordon’s recent form. He’s allowed at least five hits in each of his last three starts with seven hits allowed in two of those contests. With the Twins making contact at a high rate lately (.303 AVG over the last week) it makes a lot of sense to take 6+ hits allowed for Gordon at +135 odds.
Best bet: Colton Gordon 6+ hits allowed (+135)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
