Friday, August 21, 2015

Fenway Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Johnny Cueto (2-1) vs. Henry Owens (1-1)

The Kansas City Royals head to Fenway Park on Friday to take on the Boston Red Sox. The probable starters are Johnny Cueto for the Royals and Henry Owens for the Red Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at -159 and Boston at +149. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Royals have a 50-58 over/under record and a 67-52 run line mark, meaning they cover 56% of the time. The Red Sox have a 63-52 over/under record and a 53-67 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 44% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 73-46 record, including 31-26 on the road. Starting pitcher Johnny Cueto holds a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 1.80 and a WHIP of 0.93. In his starts, the Royals are 2-2 over his 30 innings pitched this season while giving up 24 hits during those innings. The Royals are also 2-2 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 5 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 297 hits on the season and have an earned run average of 2.39. Opposing teams are hitting .207 against the Royals bullpen while walking 131 times and striking out 362 times. Kansas City is averaging 6.89 strikeouts per game while getting 8.24 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 5th in baseball in team earned run average at 3.53.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .269, good for 3rd in the league while putting together a .261 average away from home. The Royals on-base percentage sits at .322, which puts them at 9th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .406. Eric Hosmer leads the team in hits with 139 while the team ranks 4th in baseball with 9.19 hits per game.

With a 31-30 home record, Boston will hope to improve on their 54-66 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.19, Henry Owens will come into this game holding a 1-1 record and a 1.50 WHIP. In his starts, the Red Sox are 1-2 and he has allowed 18 hits over 16 innings pitched this season. The Red Sox are also 3-0 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 6 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 402 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 4.33. Opposing teams are hitting .263 against the Red Sox bullpen while walking 135 times and striking out 342 times. Boston is averaging 7.62 strikeouts per game while getting 9.44 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 28th in the league in team earned run average at 4.65.

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .291 average at home. The Red Sox on-base percentage sits at .326, which puts them at 5th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .410. Xander Bogaerts leads the team in hits with 139 while the team ranks 6th in baseball with 9.16 hits a game.

In terms of team defense, the Royals have a fielding percentage of .986 with 63 total errors, 1,190 assists and 3,190 put outs. The Red Sox have committed 71 errors on the season with 1202 assists and 3,205 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .984 on the year.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 50-58 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 67-52 against the run line so far this season

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 63-52 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 53-67 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

08/19/15 2B Omar Infante Back "?" Thursday vs. Boston Red Sox
07/22/15 P Jason Vargas Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/22); out for season
07/09/15 LF Alex Gordon Groin Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/9)
05/17/15 P Brian Flynn Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/16)
04/06/15 P Tim Collins Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/6)

Boston Red Sox

08/15/15 P Steven Wright Concussion 7-day DL (8/15)
08/11/15 P Koji Uehara Wrist Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/8), out for season
08/02/15 P Rick Porcello Tricep Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/30)
07/25/15 2B Dustin Pedroia Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/23)
07/11/15 P Clay Buchholz Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (7/11)
05/29/15 P Brandon Workman Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/3)
05/28/15 P Anthony Varvaro Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/29)
05/13/15 P Justin Masterson Arm Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/13)
04/04/15 C Christian Vazquez Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/30), out for season

Tony's Pick: Take the Royals

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