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MLB : ATS Matchup
Friday 8/28/2015Line$ LineOU LineScore
HOUSTON  KAZMIR )
 
MINNESOTA  GIBSON )
-1.5  +125

+1.5  -145
-120

+110

7.5un
 
0
Final
3

HOUSTON (71 - 57) at MINNESOTA (65 - 62)
View Previous GameView Next Game
Friday, 8/28/2015 8:10 PM
SCOTT KAZMIR (L) vs. KYLE GIBSON (R)
Board OpeningLatest
 LineTotalLineTotal
923HOUSTON-140Ov 8,-105-130Ov 8,+110
924MINNESOTA+130Un 8,-115+120Un 8,-130
ADVANCED TEAM STATS
HOUSTON - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games71-57+8.956-674.30.2410.3040.4200.7243.60.2360.2910.3660.657
Road Games26-36-9.528-314.30.2380.2970.3930.6903.90.2430.3040.3720.676
vs Right-handed Starters46-35+9.540-384.60.2440.3050.4290.7343.70.2360.2910.3650.656
Past 7 Games5-2+3.82-54.30.2240.2720.4170.6881.10.1830.2320.2190.451
Grass Games71-51+15.354-644.40.2440.3060.4260.7323.50.2350.2890.3640.653
Night Games48-38+5.135-474.30.2400.2990.4200.7193.50.2370.2890.3680.658
HOUSTON - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games4.30.2410.30412842811033208181740.420524383112698785926510969
Road Games4.30.2380.2976221765181047730.3932491825475341039345038
Righty Starters4.60.2440.30581272666413281190.4293532427036349654386146
HOUSTON - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games2.571.023364.61181042663210736624-20311666%
Road Games3.201.1841636658127126615010-1113959.1%

MINNESOTA - Current Season Performance
 Team RecordsTeamOpponent
 W-LUnitsO-URunsAvgOBPSLGOPSRunsAvgOBPSLGOPS
All Games65-62+16.258-594.40.2500.3010.4020.7034.40.2730.3220.4270.749
Home Games38-24+16.729-274.80.2700.3210.4350.7564.00.2660.3080.4110.720
vs Left-handed Starters22-20+6.222-184.90.2550.3120.4120.7234.20.2660.3140.4220.736
Past 7 Games6-1+84-36.60.2840.3310.4610.7923.60.2660.3260.3870.713
Grass Games63-57+18.253-574.30.2510.3020.4000.7024.30.2720.3190.4220.741
Night Games38-34+13.433-354.60.2520.3020.4090.7114.10.2670.3180.4120.729
MINNESOTA - Team Hitting and Fielding Statistics
Team BattingTeam BattingTeam Fielding
 RunsAVGOBPGABH2B3BHRSLGRBIBBSOSBLOBGIDPERRDPOSB
All Games4.40.2500.30112742801068219351210.402526316982567471176411966
Home Games4.80.2700.32162205355510317670.4352841524212736466336522
Lefty Starters4.90.2550.312421445369709460.4121921182951326143244325
MINNESOTA - Bullpen Pitching Statistics
 ERAWHIPIPRERHHRBBSOW-LSVBSVPct.
All Games3.911.282393.31881713804512429022-2037980.4%
Home Games3.681.2301918978186214914710-917289.5%
SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
HOUSTON - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
8/14/2015KEUCHEL(L)DETROITSIMON(R)5-1W-1958 unU861660
8/15/2015MCHUGH(R)DETROITVERLANDER(R)2-4L-1457.5 unU860980
8/16/2015FIERS(R)DETROITBOYD(L)6-5W-1707.5 ovO952980
8/17/2015KAZMIR(L)TAMPA BAYRAMIREZ(R)2-9L-1607.5 unO79115102
8/18/2015FELDMAN(R)TAMPA BAYODORIZZI(R)3-2W-1158 unU1080980
8/19/2015KEUCHEL(L)TAMPA BAYKARNS(R)3-2W-1757.5 unU11701070
8/20/2015MCHUGH(R)TAMPA BAYARCHER(R)0-1L-1157 unU110880
8/21/2015FIERS(R)LA DODGERSANDERSON(L)3-0W-1258 unU730030
8/22/2015KAZMIR(L)LA DODGERSGREINKE(R)3-1W+1157 unU300761
8/23/2015MCCULLERS(R)LA DODGERSKERSHAW(L)3-2W+1406.5 unU10501060
8/24/2015FELDMAN(R)@ NY YANKEESEOVALDI(R)0-1L1558 ovU580661
8/25/2015KEUCHEL(L)@ NY YANKEESNOVA(R)15-1W-1457.5 evO1590441
8/26/2015MCHUGH(R)@ NY YANKEESPINEDA(R)6-2W1457.5 ovO1060570
8/28/2015KAZMIR(L)@ MINNESOTAGIBSON(R) 
8/29/2015FIERS(R)@ MINNESOTAPELFREY(R) 
8/30/2015MCCULLERS(R)@ MINNESOTASANTANA(R) 
8/31/2015FELDMAN(R)SEATTLEHERNANDEZ(R) 
9/1/2015KEUCHEL(L)SEATTLEELIAS(L) 
9/2/2015MCHUGH(R)SEATTLEWALKER(R) 
9/4/2015 MINNESOTA  

MINNESOTA - Schedule
 Team StatsOpp Stats
DateTeam StarterOpponentOpp StarterScoreW/LLineTot.O/UHLOBEHLOBE
8/14/2015MAY(R)CLEVELANDKLUBER(R)1-6L+1207.5 unU1001470
8/15/2015DUFFEY(R)CLEVELANDTOMLIN(R)4-1W-1159 unU630471
8/16/2015MILONE(L)CLEVELANDCARRASCO(R)4-1W+1207.5 unU971680
8/17/2015GIBSON(R)@ NY YANKEESMITCHELL(R)7-8L1459 unO16911071
8/18/2015PELFREY(R)@ NY YANKEESSABATHIA(L)4-8L1309.5 unO7401170
8/19/2015SANTANA(R)@ NY YANKEESEOVALDI(R)3-4L1559 unU540740
8/20/2015DUFFEY(R)@ BALTIMOREGONZALEZ(R)15-2W1558.5 ovO18601081
8/21/2015MILONE(L)@ BALTIMORECHEN(L)4-3W1508.5 unU11110520
8/22/2015GIBSON(R)@ BALTIMORETILLMAN(R)3-2W1408.5 unU780790
8/23/2015PELFREY(R)@ BALTIMOREGAUSMAN(R)4-3W1608.5 ovU76113123
8/25/2015SANTANA(R)@ TAMPA BAYKARNS(R)11-7W1307 unO125013120
8/26/2015DUFFEY(R)@ TAMPA BAYARCHER(R)5-3W1707 unO13101991
8/27/2015MILONE(L)@ TAMPA BAYSMYLY(L)4-5L1207.5 unO960951
8/28/2015GIBSON(R)HOUSTONKAZMIR(L) 
8/29/2015PELFREY(R)HOUSTONFIERS(R) 
8/30/2015SANTANA(R)HOUSTONMCCULLERS(R) 
9/1/2015DUFFEY(R)CHI WHITE SOXSALE(L) 
9/2/2015MILONE(L)CHI WHITE SOXRODON(L) 
9/3/2015GIBSON(R)CHI WHITE SOXDANKS(L) 
9/4/2015 @ HOUSTON  
KEY GAME INFORMATION
HOUSTON: HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Astros moved out of the major league basement last season.
Now the question is whether Jose Altuve and his teammates are ready to contend this year or if they still need a couple of seasons to complete their rebuild and get back to the postseason.
Owner Jim Crane is confident the time is now.
''This is our year,'' he said, adding that their goal is to make the playoffs.
The Astros made a 19-game improvement in 2014 to win 70 games and snap a streak of three straight 100-loss seasons. They beefed up a bullpen that struggled last year and added more pop to a lineup that was fourth in the majors with 163 homers in 2014 in an attempt to take another step in 2015.
''These guys are all professional baseball players and they all want to win,'' general manager Jeff Luhnow said. ''We're not going to set any limitations on them. It's up to them at this point. We've done our work for the offseason.''
The Astros blew 25 saves last season, a statistic that troubled Crane more than any other number associated with his team. His first order of business this offseason was to bring in players to get that number down this year.
To that end, Houston added relievers Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek. Gregerson appeared in 72 games for the Athletics last season and posted a 2.12 ERA and Neshek saw action in 71 games for St. Louis in 2014 with a 1.87 ERA.
A lineup that already had power aplenty with Chris Carter, whose 37 homers tied for second in the majors last season, and George Springer, who hit 20 in just 78 games, now has more sluggers with the addition of Evan Gattis and Colby Rasmus. Gattis has hit 43 homers combined in his first two major league seasons and Rasmus has hit at least 22 home runs in two of the last three years.
That power is what excites first-year manager A.J. Hinch most about his team.
''We have a chance to be a dangerous lineup,'' Hinch said with a smile.
Some things to know about the 2015 Astros:
EXPECTATIONS FOR ALTUVE: Altuve became the first Astros player to win a batting title by hitting .341 last season. He set a team record with 225 hits, was third in the majors with 47 doubles, had 59 RBIs and tied for second in the league with 56 stolen bases.
So what does Luhnow expect the 24-year-old second baseman to do for an encore?
''He's going to be a .300 career hitter, which are few and far between,'' Luhnow said. ''So there's going to be years like with most of these great hitters where they hit .340 and years that they hit .305. In my mind Altuve is an elite major league hitter and we're going to see it year in and year out.''
SPRINGER'S SECOND YEAR: Springer, the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft, hit .231 with 20 homers and 51 RBIs in 78 games as a rookie. He injured his left quadriceps on July 20 and he didn't play again. The Astros are eager to see what the right fielder can do in a full season.
''He's got a ton of potential,'' Hinch said. ''He's a dynamic player. He can do a lot of different things in a lot of different ways. Everybody sort of sits up in their seats when he comes up to bat. I think there's a chance for him to have impact in all (areas) of the game, which is hard to come by.''
CAN ROTATION BE CONSISTENT?: Dallas Keuchel (12-9, 2.93 ERA) and Collin McHugh (11-9, 2.73) had breakout seasons in 2014, but can they perform at that level in a second year to lead the rotation? Keuchel posted ERAs of over 5.00 in both of his first two seasons before being chosen this year's opening day starter with his work last year, and McHugh had ERAs of 7.59 and 10.04 in his first two years before his success in 2014.
ANOTHER NEW SKIPPER: Counting interim managers, Hinch is the seventh manager the Astros have had since 2009. He was hired just after last season following the firing of Bo Porter, who was let go near the end of his second season.
This is the second time the 40-year-old Hinch has led a team after he managed Arizona from May 2009 until July 2010, when he was fired after 31-48 start. He was the vice president of professional scouting for San Diego from 2010 until August.
MINNESOTA: MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Paul Molitor was hired as Minnesota's new manager, bringing Hall of Fame membership and renowned intelligence and intuition to a team seeking a fresh start.
The Twins brought back one of their most popular players ever, Torii Hunter, to help solidify an unsettled outfield, mentor a fledgling team and hit a few home runs. They have collected plenty of promising young hitters, either slated for the opening day lineup or waiting in the minor league wings.
None of that will matter much if the starting pitching continues to wobble the way it has the last four seasons.
Phil Hughes had by most measures a career year, his first away from the New York Yankees, but his ability to match that is low on the list of 2015 goals. Ricky Nolasco needs to rebound from a terrible first season with the Twins. Ervin Santana must show he's worth that $55 million, four-year contract. Kyle Gibson has to reduce the times (five of 31 starts in 2014) he goes three innings or less and gives up six runs or more. The fifth spot winner, Trevor May, Tommy Milone or Mike Pelfrey, needs to keep it.
''We'd put up a couple good starts and somebody would get hurt or we'd take a step backward,'' said Hughes, whose 2014 season has been one of the few true success stories of the rotation since it unraveled in 2011. ''Every good team I've been on, it seems like the rotation gets on a roll.''
New pitching coach Neil Allen will have more impact on the staff than Molitor, but after 13 years under manager Ron Gardenhire the clubhouse has been naturally buzzing with excitement about the new boss.
''He's one of the smartest baseball people I've ever been around,'' first baseman Joe Mauer said.
As for Hunter? His presence was desired for more energy and stronger camaraderie.
''If there's no tension between players and you're comfortable with everyone, you're going to play better,'' closer Glen Perkins said. ''So that's chemistry, I guess. I think we've held it together as much as we can, as much as we've struggled.''
Here are some key angles to know about the Twins in 2015:
MAUER IMPROVEMENT
Mauer, soon to turn 32, will make $23 million each of the next four years. Injuries have limited him to an average of 116 games from 2011-14. His batting average hit a career-low .277 last season, and he had a career-most 96 strikeouts despite time lost to an oblique muscle injury.
The Twins haven't lost faith in their franchise player, the homegrown guy who was the first overall draft pick in 2001. Playing for Molitor, whom he grew up admiring as an alumnus of the same St. Paul high school, ought to help.
''He's healthy. I think he's anxious to prove that last year was just an aberration,'' general manager Terry Ryan said.
LINEUP FLEXIBILITY
Molitor has been touting his options at the top and in the middle of the order, with a team that quietly scored the third-most runs in the majors after the All-Star break last year and added an accomplished hitter in Hunter.
One decision is whether to bat Mauer third, where he was most of his career until Gardenhire began to bat him second often over the last two seasons.
With Hunter, Kennys Vargas, Trevor Plouffe and Oswaldo Arcia, Molitor has power to play with in the heart of the order. The downsides are Arcia's inconsistency, leadoff man Danny Santana being the only player with a 2014 average above .290 and an unsettled situation in center field.
''It's a small sample, our track record from last year, but it's something you can use as a foundation to see potentially how your offense can work. We're going to have depth, I think, all the way down to the bottom,'' Molitor said.
BULLPEN SHUFFLE
The Twins could return as few as three relievers to their roles from last season: Perkins, Casey Fien and Brian Duensing. Blaine Boyer and Tim Stauffer, from San Diego, were signed. At least one of the losers in the fifth starter competition was headed for the seven-man bullpen. Rule 5 draft pick J.R. Graham, who must be returned to Atlanta if he's not on the 25-man roster, has been pushing for a spot, too.
Reliever use will be one area in which Molitor's strategy could differ from that of Gardenhire.
''I want to get them out of a one-inning mentality. Not that they all have it, or don't want to pitch more. But we've talked a lot about some of those guys, trying to get two innings out of them here, if we can,'' Molitor said.
PREVIEW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PA SPORTSTICKER AL PREVIEW (HOUSTON-MINNESOTA) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Astros-Twins Preview* ======================

By JON PALMIERI STATS Editor

Houston (71-57) at Minnesota (65-61), 8:10 p.m. EDT

A lethal combination of power and speed has helped the Houston Astros to what could be their best season in over a decade.

It's their starting pitching, however, that is most responsible for their run of success lately.

Scott Kazmir will try to continue an impressive run by Houston's starters Friday night when the AL West leaders open a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field.

While improvement was expected from the Astros after six consecutive losing seasons, surpassing last year's win total with a five-game division lead at this point seemed highly unlikely.

Wednesday's 6-2 victory at Yankee Stadium was Houston's seventh win in nine games and 71st of the season, one more than it had all of 2014. Evan Gattis hit a pair of homers and Collin McHugh became the ninth straight Astros starter to allow two runs or fewer, a franchise record.

With almost six weeks left, Houston (71-57) already has achieved its best season since 2010 and is on pace for its first 90-win campaign since finishing 92-70 in 2004.

"You could tell the pieces were here," said Gattis, who went 6 for 12 with three home runs and six RBIs in New York. "We're not on an island out there. We could see it."

Houston leads the AL with a 3.30 ERA, including a major league-best 2.06 mark since Aug. 4.

"It's been nice," manager A.J. Hinch told MLB's official website. "I don't know if it's the extra rest or the momentum, but they're trying to all out-do each other. There's a little competitiveness in there."

Versatility may be the Astros' biggest strength. Besides the outstanding pitching, they lead the majors in homers (174) and the AL in stolen bases (97).

"We have a lot of strengths," Hinch said. "We can do a lot of damage."

Kazmir (7-8, 2.39 ERA) has made Houston's rotation even more formidable, going 2-3 with a 2.41 ERA in six starts with his new team.

He ended a three-start losing streak Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing one run over six innings with eight strikeouts while outpitching Zack Greinke in a 3-1 victory.

The left-hander limited the Twins to one run over 8 1-3 innings in his final start for Oakland on July 18.

Most of Minnesota's roster has struggled against Kazmir but Trevor Plouffe (8 for 24) is an exception.

After winning five of six against the first-place Dodgers and wild card-leading Yankees, Houston faces another challenge against the Twins (65-62), who are 38-24 at home and had their season-best six-game win streak snapped with Thursday's 5-4 loss at Tampa Bay.

"You try to get greedy," manager Paul Molitor said. "You try to get wins when you're rolling and keep the momentum going. Hopefully we'll look at the bigger picture of how we put together a nice little run, but in the moment you're a little disappointed you couldn't find a way to finish it off."

Eduardo Escobar hit his third homer in two games for Minnesota, which dropped one-half game behind Texas for the second wild card.

Kyle Gibson (8-9, 3.96) tries again for his elusive ninth win. Since beating Detroit on July 12, the right-hander is 0-3 with a 7.22 ERA in seven starts.

He struggled with his command at Baltimore on Saturday, walking four, but was able to limit the damage to two runs over 5 2-3 innings before leaving without a decision in a 3-2 win.

Gibson is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA in three career starts against the Astros, allowing one run over 14 2-3 innings in the past two.


Last Updated: 3/28/2024 6:52:39 AM EST.


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