Twins vs. Orioles Friday MLB probable pitchers, odds: Minnesota's Pablo Lopez gets worst road run support in majors

The Minnesota Twins called a players-only meeting Wednesday after they were swept out of Atlanta by the Braves to fall a season-low-tying two games under .500. The chances of the Twins snapping their skid Friday in Baltimore probably aren't looking great either with Pablo Lopez getting the ball for Minnesota -- no starter in the majors gets worse run support on the road. The Orioles are -125 at Caesars Sportsbook with the Twins set at Over/Under 4.5 runs. 

Lopez was acquired from the Marlins in the offseason for Luis Arraez, which now looks like a potential mistake by the Twins considering Arraez might win a second straight batting title this year and may even hit .400. But the Twins absolutely needed starting pitching, and the 27-year-old Lopez is a decent 3-5 with a 4.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 120 strikeouts in 16 starts.

On the road, he's only 1-3 despite a very strong 2.94 ERA. Lopez gets 4.35 runs of support overall this year, which is middle-of-the-pack for qualified starters, but on the road his run support average is a brutal 1.84 runs, the lowest in baseball.

Here's how his eight road starts have played out:

• June 24 at Detroit – Allowed three runs over six in a 3-2 loss.
• June 7 at Tampa Bay – Allowed one run over seven in a no-decision (2-1 team loss)
• May 21 at LA Angels – Allowed two runs over six in a 4-2 loss.
• May 15 at LA Dodgers – Allowed five runs over 4.2 innings in a no-decision (9-8 team loss in 12).
• May 4 at Chicago White Sox – Allowed two runs over seven in a no-decision (7-3 team win in 12).
• April 16 at NY Yankees – Allowed two runs over six in a 2-0 loss.
• April 5 at Miami – Allowed one run over seven in a no-decision (5-2 team loss).
• March 30 at Royals – Allowed no runs over 5.1 innings in a 2-0 win in his Marlins debut.

Lopez's only start against the Orioles was on Aug. 4, 2020 in Baltimore. The Marlins won 4-0 behind five shutout innings from Lopez with two hits allowed, no walks and seven strikeouts.

Dean Kremer (8-3, 4.50 ERA) gets the call for the Birds, who are on a rare two-game home losing streak. As you can see by his mediocre ERA but good record, Kremer gets plenty of run support: 5.38 per game overall. He is 4-1 with a 4.50 ERA at home compared to 4-2 with a 4.50 ERA on the road. Consistent!

Kremer's lone start vs. the Twins came on May 25, 2021 at Target Field. He allowed five runs on six hits with three walks, two wild pitches and five Ks. Joey Gallo is 0-for-4 off Kremer with two Ks, and I want to mention Gallo because he might be the worst hitter in the majors right now and close to being released for the second straight season.

Gallo whiffed in all three at-bats in Atlanta on Wednesday and now has a comical 40% strikeout rate – the worst in the league. Gallo is in a 10-for-66 slump that has seen him strike out in 39 of 74 plate appearances. On the season, Gallo is batting .189 with 84 strikeouts in 180 at-bats. Nonetheless, he continues to play almost every day.

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