Houston Astros (35-27) vs. Minnesota Twins (25-37)
June 12, 2021 7:15 pm EDT
The Line: Minnesota Twins -107 / Houston Astros -103; Over/Under: +10
(Get latest betting odds)
The Houston Astros and the Minnesota Twins meet Saturday in MLB action from Target Field. This will be the second installment in a three-game set between these teams. In the series opener on Friday, the Astros posted a two-run win. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
Houston played the Red Sox this week and did fairly well. The Astros won Tuesday and Wednesday but fell 12-8 in the finale. In the Friday opener versus the Twins, Houston logged two runs in the ninth to power out a 6-4 win. Jose Urquidy posted 7.0 innings with three earned on four hits.
For the starter job in the Saturday game, the Astros are going with Luis Garcia. In his 59.0 innings of work this year, Garcia has 40 hits, 18 earned runs, eight homers allowed, 19 walks, 68 Ks and a 2.75 ERA.
Over on the Twins’ side, they played a trio versus the Yankees this week. Minnesota lost the first pair but pulled off an epic comeback win Thursday. In the Friday game, the Twins tied things up in the eighth but couldn’t keep it up. Bailey Ober managed two earned on seven hits in 5.0 innings.
For the Saturday starter job, the Twins are sending out Jose Berrios. In his 70.1 innings of work so far, Berrios has 59 hits, 30 runs, 28 earned runs, eight homers allowed, 19 walks, 73 Ks and a 3.58 ERA.
The Astros are 43-18 in their last 61 versus the AL Central and 43-20 in their last 63 Saturday games. The over is 4-1 in Houston’s last five Saturday games and 11-4-1 in their last 16 road games.
Meanwhile, the Twins are 9-20 in their last 29 versus a team with a winning record and 5-14 in their last 19 in game two of a series. The over is 6-0-1 in the Twins’ last seven Saturday games and 16-5-1 in their last 22 home games.
PICK: I’m going to stick with the Astros. This should be a pretty interesting starter matchup, though. Berrios posted four runs in six innings during his last start; he’s given up four or fewer in each of his last 23 appearances. As for Garcia, he started out the year at 0-3 but has won each of his last five starts. He’s given up just two homers in his last 29 innings as well. I like this one to be fairly close, but Houston should have the upper hand as far as a W is concerned.
