Saturday, August 29, 2015

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Kris Medlen (2-0) vs. Jake Odorizzi (6-6)

The Kansas City Royals head to Tropicana Field on Saturday to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable starters are Kris Medlen for the Royals and Jake Odorizzi for the Rays. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +105 and Tampa Bay at -115. The over/under was set at 7. The Royals, with a 71-56 run line record, cover the spread 56% of the time. They also have a 54-60 over/under record. The Rays have a 57-61 over/under record and a 69-58 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 54% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 78-49 record, including 33-28 on the road. Kris Medlen has a 2-0 record on the season, an earned run average of 3.10 and a 0.98 WHIP. In his starts, the Royals are 1-0 over his 20.1 innings pitched this season while giving up 15 hits during those innings. The Royals are also 1-0 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates are averaging 8 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.39 and they have given up 315 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .206 against the bullpen while being struck out 383 times and walking 135 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.32 hits per nine innings while striking out 7 batters per nine. They are 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.58.

Kansas City ranks 2nd in the league in team batting average at .271 while hitting .261 on the road. The Royals hold a .410 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .323 which is good for 9th in baseball. They rank 3rd in baseball with 9.23 hits per game and Eric Hosmer leads the team with 146.

With a 31-31 home record, Tampa Bay will hope to improve on their 63-64 overall mark. Jake Odorizzi has a record of 6-6 while sporting an earned run average of 3.02 on the year with a 1.11 WHIP. In his starts, the Rays are 10-11 and he has allowed 111 hits over 128.1 innings pitched this season. The Rays are also 7-14 against the over/under in his starts. His teammates score an average of 3.2 runs a game when he pitches. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.86 and they have given up 370 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 407 times and walking 149 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.05 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.48 batters per nine. They are 10th in the league in team earned run average at 3.69.

They rank 24th in the league in team batting average with a .248 average while hitting .246 at home. The Rays hold a .394 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .311 which is good for 18th in baseball. They rank 25th in baseball with 8.3 hits per game and Evan Longoria leads the team with 126.

Kansas City has a team fielding percentage of .985 after having committed 69 errors with 1,263 assists and 3,400 put outs for the season. For the home team, they hold a .984 team fielding percentage while committing 74 errors, accumulating 1105 assists and compiling 3,408 put outs.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 54-60 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 71-56 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 57-61 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 69-58 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

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)

Tampa Bay Rays

08/27/15 CF Desmond Jennings Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/26)
08/26/15 C Curt Casali Hamstring Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/25)
08/21/15 P Jake McGee Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/19)
08/01/15 RF Steven Souza Hand Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (8/2)
05/09/15 P Alex Cobb Forearm Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27), out for season
04/29/15 P Kirby Yates Pectoral Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (4/29)
04/18/15 P Jeff Beliveau Shoulder Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/22), out for season

Guy's Pick: Take the Rays

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