Sunday, August 2, 2015

Rogers Centre

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez (10-5) vs. R.A. Dickey (5-10)

The Kansas City Royals take on the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday at Rogers Centre. Edinson Volquez is the probable starter for the Royals and he'll face R.A. Dickey of the Blue Jays. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at +120 and Toronto at -140. The over/under was set at 9. The Royals have a 44-48 over/under record and a 60-43 run line mark, meaning they cover 58% of the time. The Blue Jays are 53-52 against the run line and have a 50-47 over/under record. They cover the spread 51% of the time.

The Royals come into this game with a 62-41 record, and they are 28-23 away from home. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez holds a 10-5 record with an earned run average of 3.21 and a WHIP of 1.28. The Royals are 15-6 over his 126 innings pitched and he's also given up 114 hits over that time period. The Royals are also 10-8 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 5.3 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 261 hits on the season and have a earned run average of 2.27. The bullpen has struck out 311 and walked 113 batters this season while opposing teams hit .206 against them. Kansas City has a team average of 8.37 hits allowed per game and are averaging 6.91 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.56, they are 9th in the league.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .270, good for 4th in the league while putting together a .262 average away from home. The Royals on-base percentage sits at .320, which puts them at 10th in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .406. With 119 hits, Eric Hosmer leads the team while his team ranks 4th in hits per game with 9.23.

With a 53-52 overall record, Toronto will come into this game 31-21 at home. With an earned run average of 4.27, R.A. Dickey will come into this game holding a 5-10 record and a 1.28 WHIP. The Blue Jays have a record of 9-12 over the 137 innings he's pitched during which he's given up 128 hits. The Blue Jays are also 9-9 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 4 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has given up 259 hits on the season and have a team earned run average of 3.39. The Blue Jays bullpen has struck out 312 batters and walked 89 this season while opposing teams have hit .221 against them. Toronto has a team average of 8.71 hits per game and are averaging 7.02 strikeouts per nine innings. With a team earned run average of 3.99, they are 22nd in the league.

As a team, they are batting .264, good for 5th in the league while putting together a .280 average at home. The Blue Jays on-base percentage sits at .332, which puts them at 2nd in the league and they have a team slugging percentage of .443. With 119 hits, Josh Donaldson leads the team while his team ranks 7th in hits per game with 8.94.

In terms of team defense, the Royals have a fielding percentage of .984 with 59 total errors, 1018 assists and 2,725 put outs. Over the course of this season, the Blue Jays have accumlated 64 errors while having 1039 assists and 2,766 put outs leading to a .983 fielding percentage.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 44-48 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 60-43 against the run line so far this season

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 50-47 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 53-52 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

07/29/15 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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