St. Louis Cardinals vs. Minnesota Twins Odds, Picks & Predictions: June 28 2009

Free MLB Picks: Twins vs. Cardinals Over 8.5 Runs -110 Odds
(Ben Burns MLB Predictions | touthouse.com)

The total in yesterday’s game was a ‘9′ and the score was 5-3 after just three innings. The teams didn’t score a single run after that though, making for a tough loss for those who wagered on the ‘over.’ Yesterday’s result should work in our favor as the teams combined to use nearly 12 innings from their bullpens – neither starting pitcher lasted past the third inning. Joel Pineiro gets the start for the Cardinals and he’s 2-5 with a 4.34 ERA and a .307 BAA in his career against the Twins. While it’s been a couple of years now, naturally, Minnesota became quite familiar with him during all his years in the American League with the Mariners.

Pineiro has solid stats this season and was admittedly very sharp last time out, as he tossed a complete game shutout. However, he’d previously had lost eight of his last nine starts and he hasn’t been nearly as good when pitching during the afternoon. Pineiro is just 1-3 in day games with a 4.50 ERA. Opponents have hit .330 against him in those games.

Francisco Liriano gets the start for the Twins and he’s just 3-8 this season with a 5.88 ERA. He’s 2-4 on the road with an even worse 6.32 ERA. Liriano did win his last start but he previously had lost four straight. In his career, Liriano has been strong at home but has struggled on the road. He has a 4.76 ERA on the road in his career. Liriano is also just 6-6 in day games with a 4.34 ERA in his career. Each of his last three starts finished above the number.

The Twins have scored five runs or more in nine of their last 17 games. During that stretch, they’ve averaged 4.6 runs per game. The Cardinals have averaged 5.1 runs per game in their last 17 games. For the season, they’ve averaged 4.9 runs when playing during the afternoon. With the o/u line at 8.5, I feel that the ‘over’ is worthy of consideration.