Astros vs. Twins May 12 Betting: Low-scoring finale likely in Minneapolis

After stormy weather interrupted Wednesday night’s matchup, the Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins have quite the busy Thursday ahead at Target Field.

First up, they will finish the final six innings of last night’s game, which was halted with the Astros up 5-1 after three innings, due to a severe thunderstorm. Then a half-hour after wrapping up that game, the two teams will play their schedule Thursday game.

Unless the Twins rally in the first game, the Astros will take a nine-game win streak into the series finale, which will see Luis Garcia take the hill for the visitors opposite rookie hurler Josh Winder, who has impressed thus far for the Twins.

Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins May 12 Betting Odds and Matchup Information

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Houston Astros (19-11, 2nd in the AL West) vs. Minnesota Twins (18-12, 1st in the AL Central)
• Venue & Location: Target Field (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
• Date: Thursday, May 12, 2022
• Time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time/2:30 p.m. local time (scheduled – game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of Wednesday’s suspended game, which will resume at 1:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. local time)
• How to Watch Thursday’s Astros vs. Twins Game: AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Astros), Bally Sports North (Twins), MLB Extra Innings (subscription package)

Astros vs. Twins Probable Starting Pitching Matchup for Today

• Houston Astros: Luis Garcia (2022: 5 starts, 2-1 W-L, 3.45 ERA)
• Minnesota Twins: Josh Winder (2022: 5 appearances – 2 starts, 2-0 W-L, 1.61 ERA)

Today’s Astros vs. Twins Betting Odds

Odds are via BetOnline.

Moneyline

• Houston Astros -136
• Minnesota Twins +116

Over/Under

• OVER 8.5 (-110)
• UNDER 8.5 (-110)

Run Line

• Houston Astros -1.5 (+126)
• Minnesota Twins +1.5 (-152)

Garcia Seeks to Continue Dominant Run for Houston Hurlers

Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., who was penciled in as a potential AL Cy Young Award candidate for 2022, has yet to pitch as he continues his recovery from a forearm injury suffered in last year’s ALDS matchup with the Chicago White Sox.

But after some early ups and downs, things could not be going much better for Houston’s current starting rotation of Garcia, AL Cy Young favorite Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Jake Odorizzi, and Jose Urquidy (and occasionally Cristian Javier).

Results for Houston’s Starting Pitchers During Current Win Streak

1. Odorizzi (3-0 W vs. Seattle on May 2): 6.2 IP, 0 R, 4 H, BB, 3 K
2. Javier (4-0 W vs. Seattle on May 3): 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
3. Verlander (7-2 W vs. Seattle on May 4): 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 K (0 BB)
4. Urquidy (3-2 W vs. Detroit on May 5): 6 IP, 6 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
5. Garcia (3-2 W vs. Detroit on May 6): 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 9 K
6. Valdez (3-2 W vs. Detroit on May 7): 6 IP, 9 H, 2 R, BB, 7 K
7. Odorizzi (5-0 W vs. Detroit on May 8): 5 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
8. Verlander (5-0 W vs. Minnesota on May 10): 8 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
9. Urquidy (5/11 vs. Minnesota – game suspended after three innings): 3 IP, 3 H, R, 3 K (0 BB)

So, Garcia has some high standards to match as he takes the hill at Target Field. He’ll no doubt be hoping for better results than his lone previous start there. In a 5-2 loss on June 12 of last year, he allowed four runs (three earned) and six hits in only 4.1 innings.

But since allowing five runs and eight hits in 4.2 innings in a loss to the San Francisco Giants on August 2 last year, Garcia is 2-1 with a 2.36 ERA in eight road starts.

Will Run Support Be an Issue for Garcia?

In his three home starts, the Astros have scored eight (win), eight (win), and three (win) runs. In his road starts, they have tallied two runs (win) and one run (loss). The latter was a 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays on April 30, in which Garcia shut down Toronto’s potent bats other than former teammate George Springer, who homered twice.

The Astros tallied five runs in their win over the Tigers on Sunday, five more in Tuesday’s win, and had already put up five more before last night’s game was suspended, which is a positive sign. In their first 28 games this season, they had scored five or more runs only six times, including three times in 15 road games.

Winder may pose a challenge, however. After three relief appearances in April, he has made his first two starts in May, and he has been superb in both.

In a 9-3 road win against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 1, he struck out seven and allowed only two hits and a walk in six shutout innings. And in a 2-1 win over the Oakland A’s this past Friday, he struck out eight, walked none, and allowed only three hits and an unearned run in six innings.

Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins May 12 Prediction and Best Bets

Astros vs. Twins Prediction: Astros to win

Astros vs. Twins Best Bets: Astros ML (-136) & UNDER 8.5 (-115) – both at BetOnline

Winder has certainly been outstanding in his first two MLB starts, but Garcia comes in off of a couple of good starts as well, and things are starting to trend up for Houston’s bats. The hottest hand is the best hand to go with here, and that’s the Astros.

As for the over/under in this matchup, only eight of Houston’s 30 completed games this season have gone over 8.5 runs, including four of their 17 road games and only one game during their eight-game win streak. With both starters pitching well right now, the under is the clear play here.