Can the Astros Continue Winning in Minnesota?
Astros vs Twins Runline Favors Hosts as Weekend Series Starts
Exciting Pitching Matchup on Tap in Saturday’s Game
What a difference a month can make. On June 1, Minnesota comfortably held down the final playoff position in the American League while Houston was in 12th place in the AL. Now the Astros are closing fast and Minnesota’s hold on a playoff spot isn’t quite as secure as it once was. The Astros vs Twins runline has Minnesota favored in the series opener.
Minnesota went on the road and took two of three games from the Astros from May 31 to June 2. All three games landed under the total as did the final game in the 2023 playoff series between the teams. The road team has won six of the last eight meetings.
The MLB odds have Minnesota priced at -155 to win the series opener with +130 odds at -1.5 on the run line as the home team has been favored in 15 of the previous 16 games between the Astros and the Twins. Houston, which is 15-5 over its last 20 games, offers solid value at +130 to win Friday’s game outright.
Houston is fifth at +1800 and Minnesota is sixth at +2000 among AL teams in the odds of winning the World Series.
Astros vs Twins 
📊Records: Houston Astros 45-42 (21-23 on the road), Minnesota Twins 49-38 (25-17 at home)
⏰Day/Time:
📍Location: Target Field, Minneapolis, MN
📺Streaming: Space City Home Network, Bally Sports North
Astros vs Twins Probable Starting Pitchers
- Friday: Shawn Dubin (Astros); Pablo Lopez (Twins)
- Saturday: Hunter Brown (Astros); Joe Ryan (Twins)
- Sunday: Spencer Arrighetti (Astros); Simeon Woods Richardson (Twins)
Hitters Beware in Saturday’s Matinee
The batters might want to get their cuts in during the series opener because they might not get many good pitches to hit in the middle game of the three-game series.
Flame-throwing Hunter Brown got off to a tough start this season with an 8.89 ERA in early May. However, in his last five starts, he has allowed 18 hits and one run with 34 strikeouts in 31 innings. He is also 5-0 in those games for the Astros. That could factor in the Astros vs Twins runline odds for Saturday’s game.
Joe Ryan has allowed two runs or less in six of his last eight starts. Those considering the player props should know that Ryan is coming off his second double-digit strikeout game.
Ryan struggled in his last start against the Twins when he allowed eight hits, four home runs, and five runs in five innings in a 5-2 loss on June 1.
Brown surrendered five hits (two of them home runs) and three runs in six innings the last time he faced Minnesota.
Five of Houston’s last seven games went over the total.
Long Time, No See
With a four-game series in the 2023 playoffs as well as the scheduled games during the regular season, there is plenty of familiarity between the Astros and the Twins.
Edouard Julien is struggling this season for Minnesota but against the Astros in the postseason, three of his four hits went for extra bases. Carlos Correa also had an OPS over 1.000 so both could offer value in player prop picks.
Yordan Alvarez had two doubles and four home runs versus the Twins in the playoffs. Keep that in mind when it comes to the Astros vs Twins runline odds.
Four of the last five games between the Astros and Twins landed under the total.
Who’s Hot
- Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros OF: Alvarez is 11-for-23 with five doubles, two home runs, 11 runs, and eight RBIs over his last six games.
- Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins SS: Correa is 10-for-23 with four extra-base hits, nine runs, and five RBIs during a seven-game hitting streak.
- Jhoan Duran, Minnesota Twins P: Duran has scoreless outings in 10 of his last 11 appearances with nine strikeouts in 11 innings of work.
- Tayler Scott, Houston Astros P: Scott hasn’t allowed an earned run over nine innings in his last nine appearances.
Who’s Not
- Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros P: Arrighetti surrendered 16 hits, five home runs, and 17 runs in 16.2 innings in his last four starts.
- Jake Meyers, Houston Astros OF: Myers is 0-for-13 with five strikeouts in his last four games.
- Steven Okert, Minnesota Twins P: Okert has given up nine hits and four runs in 7.1 innings over his last nine outings.
- Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins DH: In his last 11 games, Santana has four multi-hit games. He is 0-for-23 with seven strikeouts in the other seven contests.
Astros vs Twins Injury Update
First baseman Chris Gittens and pitcher Jake Bloss are on the injured list for the Astros.
Pitchers Chris Paddack, Brock Stewart, Justin Topa, and Zack Weiss join outfielder Alex Kiriloff on the MLB injured list for the Twins. In one of the least surprising pieces of news, oft-injured infielder Royce Lewis is back on the injured list.
Astros vs Twins Betting Preview
Shawn Dubin became the 10th pitcher this season to start a game for the Astros due to injuries that have ravaged the Houston pitching staff. Now when looking at MLB today’s games he goes against Pablo Lopez, who is tied for Minnesota’s team lead with eight wins and 110 strikeouts.
Minnesota has won just two of its last nine home games against the Astros. However, the Twins are 6-2 over the last eight games versus AL teams. Houston has won outright in five of the last six games on the road.
When it comes to the MLB picks, keep in mind that Houston is 11-6 against the run line as a road underdog. Minnesota has covered in just 13 of 35 matchups as the favorite at home.
Minnesota loves being a front-runner with a 36-21 record as a favorite. The Twins are 17-25 against the run line at home.
Eight of the last nine games the Astros played against AL Central Division teams went under the total. The total is at 8.5 for the series opener.
Astros vs Twins Odds
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