Friday MLB Betting on Minnesota at San Francisco Preview & Pick

If you can find me a baseball betting expert who back in the spring had the Minnesota Twins leading the AL Central Division at this point of the season and the San Francisco Giants battling to avoid last place in the NL West, well, I’d like to meet that person. The two teams open an interleague series by the Bay on Friday.  San Francisco is currently in a 4 game series against the Milwaukee Brewers, which ends today. That series is at 1-2. For the Twins, it hasn’t been a great series against the Seattle Mariners, which they’re currently losing at 0-2. The Giants will be MLB betting favorites.

How To Bet Minnesota at San Francisco MLB Preview & Game Info

FINAL: Mariners 6, #MNTwins 5.

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 8, 2017

When: Friday, June 9, 10:15 PM ET Where: AT&T Park, San Francisco Probable pitchers (away/home): Ervin Santana/Matt Moore TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv Radio: Minnesota / San Francisco Opening MLB Lines: Giants favored by TBA

Why Bet On Minnesota?

This series concludes a long West Coast road trip for the Twins, prefaced by stops at the Angels and Mariners. Minnesota should have shortstop Jorge Polanco back from on the bereavement list for this one. Polanco was scratched from the Twins’ starting lineup Tuesday night in Seattle following a death in his family. The Twins were interested in making a trade for former Rangers closer Sam Dyson, who was designated for assignment by the Rangers after a horrible start to his 2017 season, which featured blown saves and a 10.80 ERA. But Dyson was traded Tuesday to the San Francisco Giants for a player to be named later and “cash considerations,” which in this case means that Texas will pay some of the $2.2 million remaining on his salary. Dyson had 38 saves and a 2.42 ERA last season for Texas, and a 2.63 ERA as a set-up man for Miami and Texas in 2015. It’s ace Ervin Santana (7-3, 2.44) on the mound. Santana struggled against the Angels on Saturday, allowing a season-high seven runs, including a grand slam to Albert Pujols for his 600th homer. It was the first time he didn’t go six innings this season. Santana has also been one of the best pitchers in the American League this season. He has a chance to make his second All-Star team while being near the top of the AL in WHIP, ERA, hits/9, compete games and shutouts. In his career, Santana has a 19.0% strikeout rate, and his career high is 23.9%. In 2016, he struck out 19.9% of batters he faced, and in 2017, that number has dipped to 19.3% His career walk rate is 7.5%, and in 2016 he finished at 7.1%. In 2017, he is at a career high 10.0%. Despite the relatively high number of bases on balls, he has limited base runners by only allowing an overall batting average against of .138, down from a very good 2016 number of .243, and career number of .247.

Why Bet On San Francisco?

Ace pitcher Madison Bumgarner (shoulder) is on track to resume throwing off a mound in a week. Bumgarner has been playing catch for a week without issue and is about ready to ramp up his rehab, though it’s going to be at least another month before we see him back on a major league mound. The ace left-hander was placed on the disabled list April 21 with a complete tear and another partial tear of the two tendons that connect the AC joint in his throwing shoulder. The expectation continues to be that Bumgarner should be finishing up a minor league rehab assignment sometime after the All-Star break, likely nearer to Aug. 1. Outfielder Jarrett Parker (shoulder) is nearly ready for a minor league rehab assignment. Parker has been out since the middle of April with a broken clavicle. The Giants are hitting just .230 (17-for- 74) with runners in scoring position over their last eight games. SF’s .243 average with RISP this season is the fourth-lowest in the league. The Giants have homered just three times over their last nine games. SF’s 45 home runs overall this year rank as the fewest in the Majors. SF is 18-8 this season when scoring at least four runs in a game, compared to a 6-28 record when scoring fewer than four. It’s lefty Matt Moore (2-6, 5.22) on the mound. Moore allowed five runs — four earned — on six hits and two walks while striking out just a single batter through four innings during Sunday’s loss to Philadelphia. He didn”t factor into the decision. Moore has been hammered away from AT&T Park to the tune of a 7.94 ERA and 1.91 WHIP, and he’s held a road opponent to fewer than three runs just once in seven starts. His 2.57 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 7.7 K/9 at home are strong numbers.

Minnesota at San Francisco MLB Betting Pick: San Francisco Giants

Moore has been sterling at home and Santana could be coming back to earth.