Friday’s Pitchers: Mike Pelfrey (6-10, 4.16 ERA) vs. Matt Boyd (1-5, 7.40 ERA)
Mike Pelfrey numbers do not instill much confidence in fans and starters and his season stats are very similar to his splits against Detroit in 2015. Pelfrey has three starts against the Tigers going 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA and WHIP of 1.29. His one starts against Detroit on the road was a stinker where he allowed 10 hits and 2 walks, while only striking out 1 and allowing 5 runs – four earned – over 4.2 innings.
The most notable part of Matt Boyd’s season is likely he was part of the trade that sent David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays. Though Boyd is at just under 50 innings through his rookie campaign, the early signs are not very positive and Friday night is shaping up to be a high scoring game. Boyd has yet to face the Twins in his career.
Saturday’s Probable Pitchers: Tyler Duffey (4-1, 3.15 ERA) vs. Alfredo Simon (13-10, 5.21 ERA)
Another rookie pitching this weekend, but to a much more successful tune is Tyler Duffey. Duffey will be making ninth career start on Saturday and so far has been pretty good. In six of eight of his starts he has allowed two runs or less, including a one-run, seven strikeout performance against the Tigers earlier this month.
Alfredo Simon was an All-Star in 2014. In 2015, Simon has the worst ERA for any qualifying pitcher – which is basically about 152 innings up to this point in the season. With everything in Detroit going downhill, Simon may relish the fact he only signed a one year deal. But since Simon has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball, he needs to prove to prospective teams that he has not completely lost his edge. Simon is 1-1 with an ERA of 4.96 against Minnesota in 2015. His start versus them at home was quite successful, allowing just one run over 6.2 innings and striking out 6.
Sunday’s Probable Pitchers: Twins Pitcher TBD vs. Randy Wolf (0-4, 5.91 ERA)
As of Thursday night the Twins had not officially announced who would be on the mound Sunday, but to take a swing at it, I’d have to guess Ervin Santana. Santana is 8-3 against the Tigers in his career, but his success has been with other franchises, not the Twins. In his two starts against the Tigers as a Twin, Santana has allowed 8 earned runs over 11 innings and has not been able to stop the Tigers from hitting the long ball. Though he is the logical player to start Sunday when looking their rotation, his inability to pitch against the Tigers in 2015 may have him pushed back a day and why a starter has yet to be announced.
At 38 years old, Randy Wolf may not be pitching much – if ever again – after this season is over and he would certainly like to finish what could be his final season with at least one victory. Wolf, who has spent 15 and a half of his 17 seasons in the National League has only 2 games against Minnesota – yet has played 9 games at Olympic Stadium in Montreal – and is 1-1 with 3.21 ERA in though two starts.
Something to Watch
The Twins are a team with some strong young players on the roster. One of those players is rookie Miguel Sano, who is listed as a third baseman put primarily plays designated hitter. This comparison may seem a tad generous, but Sano’s rookie season is reminiscent of Miguel Cabrera’s earlier years. Sano’s become a bit of a trendy pick for Rookie of the Year in the AL, but he really has not played enough games and is primarily a DH. Sano should be able to hit at least on jack this series, helping him close in on nearly 20 in less than half a season.
Category : Betting Picks
Tag : baseball , Detroit Tigers , miguel sano , Minnesota Twins , mlb , mlb betting , mlb weekend series
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