The Houston Astros took the field in Minnesota on Tuesday night armed with a season-best seven-game winning streak. The Twins took the field having won nine consecutive home games.
Thanks largely to yet another dominant pitching gem — this one by the ageless Justin Verlander — Houston’s streak is still alive. Can the ’Stros make it nine straight victories (and three straight shutouts) on Wednesday? Or will Minnesota defend its home field and even this three-game series?
Props.com breaks down Astros vs Twins odds in our second MLB betting preview for Wednesday.
Odds via PointsBet USA and updated as of 4:25 p.m. ET on May 11.
Houston Astros (19-11) vs Minnesota Twins (18-12)
First Pitch/TV: 7:40 p.m./MLB.TV
Moneyline: Astros -125/Twins +105
Run Line: Astros -1.5 (+135)/Twins +1.5 (-160)
Total: 8.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Pitching matchup: RHP Jose Urquidy (2-1, 4.56 ERA, 1.36 WHIP) vs RHP Chris Archer (0-0, 3.26 ERA, 1.29 WHIP)
Season series: Houston leads 1-0 after Tuesday’s 5-0 victory in Minnesota.
Did you know: Including Tuesday’s result, the visiting team has now won five of the last six and eight of the last 10 meetings between these clubs (playoffs included).
About the Astros
Hits & Misses: Verlander nearly threw his fourth career no-hitter Wednesday, holding Minnesota hitless until Twins 3B Gio Urshela singled with one out in the eighth inning. The veteran right-hander completed the eighth and finished yielding just the one hit and two walks while striking out five on 89 pitches. It was Houston’s second consecutive 5-0 win, following Sunday’s blanking of the Tigers at home. The Astros have posted four shutouts and allowed a total of eight runs during their nine-game winning streak. They’ve surrendered two runs or fewer in all eight wins and nine of their last 10 games. The only exception: a 3-2 loss at Toronto on May 1. Thanks to a pitching staff that has MLB’s third-best ERA (2.85), Houston is 18-1 this season when scoring at least three runs. The Astros trail the Angels by one game in the AL West.
On the Mound: Urquidy delivered his best performance of the season Thursday at home against Detroit. He limited the Tigers to six hits and a walk in six shutout innings. The Astros won 3-2, but he didn’t factor in the decision. On the downside, Urquidy’s last two road starts were ugly. Facing the Mariners and Blue Jays, he allowed a combined 10 runs and 15 hits in nine innings. The Astros managed to split those two games, though. Including the playoffs, Houston is 9-3 in Urquidy’s last 12 trips to the mound. The Astros are also 2-0 against the Twins behind Urquidy. In those two contests, both in Minnesota, the 27-year-old from Mexico gave up four runs in 11.1 innings.
Key injuries: SS Aledmys Diaz (undisclosed) has missed the last two games. He’s questionable. Houston is otherwise healthy.
About the Twins
Hits & Misses: In addition to seeing its nine-game home winning streak wiped out Wednesday, Minnesota also had a three-game overall run halted. The Twins are still 7-3 in their last 10 games and continue to sit atop the AL Central, 2.5 games ahead of the White Sox and three games clear of Cleveland. However, run production has been an issue lately for Minnesota. The team has tallied just 14 runs in its last six games. The scoring drought has coincided with injuries to the team’s two most important hitters, CF Byron Buxton (hip) and SS Carlos Correa (finger). Buxton is day-to-day, but Correa was placed on the 10-day injured list before Tuesday’s game. While the offense has scuffled, the pitchers have done their part. The staff has yielded three runs or fewer in seven of the last 10 contests. Minnesota won all seven.
On the Mound: Archer has been solid in his first season with the Twins. While the veteran right-hander hasn’t pitched more than four innings in any of his five starts, he’s not allowed more than two runs in any outing. Overall, he’s surrendered seven runs in 18.1 innings. In his only two home starts, Archer has yielded just two runs on five hits and three walks in seven innings. The 33-year-old hasn’t thrown more than 79 pitches in any start. He’s also dominated the Astros in his career, going 5-2 with a 2.15 ERA and a 57-11 K/BB ratio in eight starts (54.1 innings). That said, Archer hasn’t faced Houston since 2017.
Key injuries: In addition to Buxton and Correa, RP Danny Coulombe (hip) has been sidelined since Saturday. There’s no timetable for his return. The Twins also have a slew of starters and relievers occupying both the 10-day and 60-day IL.
Notable Trends
- HOU is 13-3 in its last 16 overall and 11-1 in its last 12 as a favorite
- MIN is 5-1 in its last six vs. the AL West and 5-2 in its last seven as an underdog
- Under for HOU is on runs of 27-9-1 overall and 7-1 on the road
- Under for MIN is on runs of 4-0-1 overall, 12-2-2 as a home underdog and 15-5-3 vs. right-handed SPs
- HOU is 5-1 in its last six games at Minnesota
- Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 Astros-Twins clashes
Astros Vs Twins Odds and Action
UPDATE 4:25 PM ET WEDNESDAY: Houston hit PointsBet USA’s MLB odds board as a -120 road favorite late Tuesday night. Just before midnight, the moneyline jumped to Astros -125/Twins +105, and that price hasn’t budged since. There’s equal action on Houston at 71% wagers and cash.
The total has jumped a full run from the opener of 7.5 (Over -120) to the current number of 8.5 (Over -115), with a stop at 8 and various juice adjustments along the way. There’s solid two-way action, with 55% of all wagers on the Under and 67% of all dollars on the Over.