If you followed the betting markets for the July 1 game between the Minnesota Twins and the Houston Astros, you probably thought it would be a tight contest. The Astros were playing on their home turf at Daikin Park. Oddsmakers gave them a slight advantage. A lot of people expected Houston to win the series.
Baseball can be incredibly unpredictable. The Twins went into Houston and completely dominated from the first pitch. They walked away with a massive 8-3 win. If you put your money on the over for the total runs, you were celebrating very early in the night. Here is a look at the game and the specific player props that actually made bettors money.
Pre-Game Odds vs. Game-Time Reality
Before Wednesday night, the sportsbooks had the Astros as slight favorites on the moneyline. They had the obvious home-field advantage. The total runs market was the hardest part to predict. Bettors knew it all came down to the starting pitchers and how long they could stay in the game.
Minnesota started Taj Bradley on the mound against Houston’s Tatsuya Imai. Many experienced bettors thought the pitching matchup would keep the final score low. They missed the mark completely on that prediction. The Twins offense started hitting right away and easily pushed the game past the total run line.
Houston backers felt confident early on, but that feeling did not last long. The betting lines shifted dramatically as soon as the first few batters stepped up to the plate.
Breaking Down the Action
Minnesota scored incredibly fast. Trevor Larnach hit a double to lead off the game against Imai. That immediately put a man in scoring position for Josh Bell. Bell stepped up and hit a massive two-run home run. Just like that, the Twins took the lead and set a strong tone for the rest of the night.
By the second inning, the situation got much worse for Houston. Kody Clemens found a pitch he liked and hit a 399-foot, three-run home run. Before the Houston fans could even get comfortable in their seats, the Twins had built a massive 5-1 lead.
The biggest story of the night was Minnesota’s starting pitcher. Taj Bradley gave up one run in the first inning but was untouchable after that. He recorded ten straight outs just by striking batters out. He ended up striking out 11 Astros in just five innings of work. That tied his career high and ruined any chance of a Houston comeback.
A Profitable Night for Twins Bettors
If you skipped the moneyline and played player props, this was a great game to back Minnesota. Taj Bradley going over his strikeout total was the easiest winner of the night. His pitches were completely unhittable. Getting 11 strikeouts in five innings easily cleared any sportsbook line by a wide margin.
Josh Bell was another big winner for sports bettors. He hit his home run prop very early in the game. He also extended his road hitting streak to 16 games. If you just bet on Bell to get a single hit, you won your bet in the very first inning.
Kody Clemens cleared his total bases prop with his huge hit in the second inning. Luke Keaschall also paid out for bettors who took a chance on his home run odds when he hit a solo shot in the eighth inning. It was a rough night for Astros fans but a highly profitable one for anyone backing the Twins.
