Monday, June 29, 2015

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Joe Blanton (2-0) vs. Lance McCullers (3-2)

The Kansas City Royals head to Minute Maid Park on Monday to take on the Houston Astros. The Royals send Joe Blanton to the mound to face Lance McCullers of the Astros. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +119 and Houston at -129. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Royals, with a 42-29 run line record, cover the spread 59% of the time. They also have a 31-33 over/under record. The Astros have a 37-37 over/under record and a 45-32 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 58% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 43-28 record, including 21-15 on the road. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton holds a 2-0 record with an earned run average of 1.73 and a WHIP of 0.92. In his starts, the Royals are 2-0 over his 26 innings pitched this season while giving up 21 hits during those innings. The Royals are also 1-1 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 7 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.06 and they have given up 163 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .191 against the Royals bullpen while walking 83 times and striking out 210 times. Kansas City is averaging 6.77 strikeouts per game while getting 7.98 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 5th in baseball in team earned run average at 3.48.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .274, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .272 average away from home. The Royals hold a .409 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 9th in baseball. Mike Moustakas leads the team in hits with 84 while the team ranks 2nd in baseball with 9.37 hits per game.

With a 24-16 home record, Houston will hope to improve on their 43-34 overall mark. With an earned run average of 2.33, Lance McCullers will come into this game holding a 3-2 record and a 1.04 WHIP. In his starts, the Astros are 3-5 and he has allowed 32 hits over 46.1 innings pitched this season. The Astros are also 2-5 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 3.4 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.61 and they have given up 161 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .191 against the Astros bullpen while walking 65 times and striking out 240 times. Houston is averaging 7.76 strikeouts per game while getting 7.97 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 9th in the league in team earned run average at 3.62.

As a team, they are batting .240, good for 26th in the league while putting together a .233 average at Safeco Field. The Astros hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .308 which is good for 21st in baseball. Jose Altuve leads the team in hits with 81 while the team ranks 26th in baseball with 8.06 hits a game.

Kansas City has a team fielding percentage of .985 after having committed 39 errors with 688 assists and 1,887 put outs for the season. The Astros have committed 40 errors on the season with 833 assists and 2,076 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .986 on the year.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 31-33 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 42-29 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 37-37 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 45-32 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

06/18/15 P Yordano Ventura Hand Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/13)
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)
04/04/15 P Kris Medlen Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/07)

Houston Astros

06/26/15 P Chad Qualls Neck Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/25)
06/22/15 CF Jake Marisnick Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/19)
05/29/15 P Scott Feldman Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/27)
05/19/15 P Samuel Deduno Back Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/14)
04/28/15 SS Jed Lowrie Thumb Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/28)
04/17/15 P Brad Peacock Side Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/14)

Josh's Pick: Take the Astros

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