Kenta Maeda and the Minnesota Twins are -166 favorites over the Zack Greinke and the Houston Astros in Tuesday’s AL Wildcard opener. Photo by @aarontjones (Twitter).
- Kenta Maeda and the Minnesota Twins are -166 favorites over Zack Greinke and the Houston Astros in Game 1 of their American League Wildcard series
- Maeda was 6-1 with an MLB-leading 0.75 WHIP this season
- Minnesota has lost 16 straight postseason games
Both the Minnesota Twins and Houston starter Zack Greinke will be looking to end postseason losing skids when they open the American League Wildcard playoffs on Tuesday. Greinke will be on the hill for the visiting Houston Astros as they face Kenta Maeda and the Twins at Target Field.
First pitch for Game 1 of this best-of-three series is slated for 2:00 pm ET.
The Twins have lost 16 consecutive postseason games dating back to 2004. Greinke has lost his last three playoff decisions and is winless through the prior eight times he’s toed the rubber in the postseason.
Astros vs Twins Game 1 Odds
| Team (Starter) | Moneyline | Runline | Over/Under Run Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros (Z. Greinke) | +144 | +1.5 (-152) | O 7.5 (-115) |
| Minnesota Twins (K. Maeda) | -166 | -1.5 (+128) | U 7.5 (-105) |
Odds as of Sept. 28 at FanDuel.
This is the first-ever playoff meeting between Minnesota and Houston.
Greinke and Maeda Were Nearly Teammates
Maeda and Greinke just missed being part of the same starting rotation. Greinke pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2013-15. Maeda joined the Dodgers’ rotation in 2016 and was with the team until the past offseason, when he was dealt to the Twins.
Former Cy Young Award-winner Greinke started the year out strongly for the Astros. His ERA over his first five starts was 1.84. From then on, though, it was a dismal 5.73.
What I’ll miss most about this season is Zack Greinke being the wonderful human being he is pic.twitter.com/3o8oEPbbgT
— FᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀSᴛʀᴏs
(@ForeverStros) September 27, 2020
Greinke is 1-3 with a 6.08 ERA so far during the month of September. He’s given up 11 earned runs in 14.2 innings through his past three starts.
Acquired at the 2019 MLB trade deadline, he was 0-2 with a 4.68 ERA for the Astros during last year’s playoffs. Greinke’s most-recent playoff win came in the 2015 NLDS for the Dodgers against the New York Mets.
Minnesota’s ace, Kenta Maeda (@maeken1988), will toe the rubber for Game 1 against the Astros.
Maeda is one of the best in the game at pitching backward. Over 70% of the time, he either throws a slider or (split) change. Look for him continue that against the Astros. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/ezHOejsAnt
— Jeremy Maschino (@JMaschino_56) September 28, 2020
Maeda is making his first postseason start since 2016. He posted an MLB-best 0.75 WHIP this season. His .168 opposition batting average was second-best in the AL.
The right-hander was 6-1 win a 2.30 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 66.2 innings pitched. Maeda is 2-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in playoff action. He’s struck out 39 in 32.2 innings.
Twins Happy to See Someone Else
From Minnesota’s perspective, they’ll be pleased to see a team other than the New York Yankees sitting in the visitor’s dugout. The Bronx Bombers handed Minny 13 of those MLB-record 16 successive playoff losses.
In fact, Minnesota’s last postseason series victory came against an AL West ballclub. They defeated the Oakland Athletics in the 2002 ALDS.
The Minnesota Twins haven’t won a playoff game since ‘04 and are currently on an 0-16 playoff losing streak.
— Sam Nord (@SamuelNord) July 1, 2020
The last time the Twins and Astros met, neither Greinke or Maeda were part of either club. That was on May 2, 2019, when Minnesota beat Houston 8-2.
The Twins have won three of the last four games against the Astros. Over the past 10 games, Houston holds a 6-4 edge.
Astros Falling Out of Orbit
Houston’s 29-31 record is the worst of among the eight AL playoff teams. That included a 10-17 September that saw the Astros average just 3.8 runs per game.
The entire series is set for Minnesota. The Astros’ 9-23 road record is the worst of any MLB playoff team. Among all AL teams, only the Texas Rangers (six) won fewer away games.
Carlos Correa (@TeamCJCorrea) believes the #Astros experience in the postseason will be very important: “Regular season games and playoff games bring a different intensity..I think we have to step up. I think we’re gonna play great baseball. I think we’re gonna be fine.” pic.twitter.com/w8kzwTAPpV
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) September 27, 2020
Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson (calf strain) and centerfielder Byron Buxton (concussion) expect to be available for the series. The Astros were injury-riddled all season long. Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, 2019 AL rookie of the year Yordan Alvarez and closer Roberto Osuna are out for the season.
A couple of Game 1 first five innings wagers to consider: Maeda owns a 7-0-4 F5 record. Minnesota shows a 31-7-6 F5 record vs right-handed starters.
Pick: Minnesota Twins (-166)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/astros-greinke-vs-twins-maeda-game-1-picks-and-odds/
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