Saturday, August 1, 2015

Rogers Centre

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Yordano Ventura (5-7) vs. Mark Buehrle (11-5)

The Kansas City Royals head to Rogers Centre on Saturday to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. Yordano Ventura is the probable starter for the Royals and he'll face Mark Buehrle of the Blue Jays. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +114 and Toronto at -124. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Royals, with a 58-43 run line record, cover the spread 57% of the time. They also have a 42-48 over/under record. The Blue Jays have a 48-47 over/under record and a 53-50 run line mark, which means they are covering the spread 52% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 61-40 record, including 27-22 on the road. Starting pitcher Yordano Ventura holds a 5-7 record with an earned run average of 4.86 and a WHIP of 1.31. In his starts, the Royals are 6-9 over his 83.1 innings pitched this season while giving up 84 hits during those innings. The Royals are also 6-8 against the over/under in his starts. The team is averaging 4.1 runs when he starts. The bullpen has given up 251 hits on the season and have a earned run average of 2.18. The bullpen has struck out 309 and walked 111 batters this season while opposing teams hit .203 against them. Kansas City has a team average of 8.32 hits allowed per game and are averaging 6.9 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.53, they are 9th in the league.

Kansas City is batting .271 as a team, which is good for 4th in the league and hitting .262 away from home. The Royals on-base percentage sits at .321, which puts them at 10th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .407. With 117 hits, Eric Hosmer leads the team while his team ranks 4th in hits per game with 9.22.

With a 30-20 home record, Toronto will hope to improve on their 52-51 overall mark. With an earned run average of 3.29, Mark Buehrle will come into this game holding a 11-5 record and a 1.19 WHIP. In his starts, the Blue Jays are 12-8 and he has allowed 139 hits over 134 innings pitched this season. The Blue Jays are also 10-8 against the over/under in his starts. The team is averaging 6.4 runs when he takes the field. The bullpen has given up 252 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 3.36. The Blue Jays bullpen has struck out 308 batters and walked 89 this season while opposing teams have hit .220 against them. Toronto has a team average of 8.71 hits per game and are averaging 7.06 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 4.00, they are 22nd in the league.

They are batting .263 as a team, which is good for 5th in the league and hitting .278 at home. The Blue Jays on-base percentage sits at .331, which puts them at 2nd in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .444. With 116 hits, Josh Donaldson leads the team while his team ranks 8th in hits per game with 8.88.

In terms of team defense, the Royals have a fielding percentage of .985 with 58 total errors, 1003 assists and 2,694 put outs. Over the course of this season, the Blue Jays have accumlated 63 errors while having 1024 assists and 2,733 put outs leading to a .984 fielding percentage.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 42-48 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 58-43 against the run line so far this season

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 48-47 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 53-50 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)

Toronto Blue Jays

07/30/15 1B Edwin Encarnacion Finger "?" Friday vs. Kansas City Royals
07/29/15 2B Devon Travis Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/29)
05/10/15 RF Michael Saunders Knee Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (5/10)
04/06/15 2B Maicer Izturis Groin Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)
04/06/15 P Marcus Stroman Knee Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (4/6)

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals

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