Friday, October 2, 2015

Target Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Chris Young (11-6) vs. Ervin Santana (7-4)

The Kansas City Royals visit Target Field on Friday to play the Minnesota Twins. Chris Young is the probable starter for the Royals and he'll face Ervin Santana of the Twins. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +105 and Minnesota at -115. The over/under was set at 8. The Royals have a 72-72 over/under record and a 85-73 run line mark, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Twins are 93-65 against the run line and have a 72-74 over/under record. They cover the spread 59% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 91-67 record, including 40-37 on the road. Chris Young has a 11-6 record on the season, an earned run average of 3.15 and a 1.09 WHIP. The Royals are 11-6 over his 117 innings pitched and he's also given up 87 hits over that time period. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 4-10. He is getting 3.8 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.75 and they have given up 410 base hits on the year. The bullpen has struck out 490 and walked 187 batters this season while opposing teams hit .211 against them. Kansas City has a team average of 8.55 hits allowed per game and are averaging 7.14 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.79, they are 12th in the league.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .269, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .258 average away from home. The Royals hold a .413 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .321 which is good for 14th in baseball. With 175 hits, Eric Hosmer leads the team while his team ranks 3rd in hits per game with 9.23.

With a 46-32 home record, Minnesota will hope to improve on their 82-76 overall mark. Ervin Santana has a record of 7-4 while sporting an earned run average of 4.10 on the year with a 1.32 WHIP. The Twins have a record of 9-7 over the 101 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 100 hits. Their record against the over/under when he starts is 7-8. He is getting 4.8 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.01 and they have given up 488 base hits on the year. The Twins bullpen has struck out 383 batters and walked 157 this season while opposing teams have hit .250 against them. Minnesota has a team average of 9.42 hits per game and are averaging 6.53 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 4.09, they are 19th in the league.

As a team, they are batting .248, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .266 average at home. The Twins hold a .403 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .306 which is good for 27th in baseball. With 154 hits, Joe Mauer leads the team while his team ranks 25th in hits per game with 8.39.

Kansas City has a team fielding percentage of .985 after having committed 86 errors with 1,571 assists and 4,248 put outs for the season. Over the course of this season, the Twins have accumulated 80 errors while having 1,592 assists and 4,221 put outs leading to a .986 fielding percentage.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 72-72 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 85-73 against the run line so far this season

Minnesota Twins Betting Trends

The Minnesota Twins are 72-74 against the over/under so far this season

The Minnesota Twins are 93-65 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

10/01/15 CF Lorenzo Cain Knee is not expected to be in the starting lineup Thursday vs. Chicago White Sox
09/24/15 P Greg Holland Elbow out for season
09/19/15 2B Omar Infante Oblique out indefinitely
07/22/15 P Jason Vargas Elbow Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/22); out for season
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)

Minnesota Twins

09/29/15 CF Jordan Schafer Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/16)

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals

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