Monday, July 20, 2015

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: A.J. Burnett (7-3) vs. Yordano Ventura (4-6)

The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Kauffman Stadium on Monday to play the Kansas City Royals. A.J. Burnett is the probable starter for the Pirates and he'll face Yordano Ventura of the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Pittsburgh at +111 and Kansas City at -121. The over/under was set at 7.5. The Pirates, with a 38-53 run line record, cover the spread 42% of the time. They also have a 38-44 over/under record. The Royals are 52-38 against the run line and have a 39-41 over/under record. They cover the spread 58% of the time.

The Pirates come into this game with a 53-38 record, and they are 21-22 away from home. A.J. Burnett has a 7-3 record on the season, an earned run average of 2.11 and a 1.22 WHIP. He's pitched 119.1 innings thus far while surrendering 113 hits over that time and when he starts, the Pirates are 11-7. The Pirates are also 8-9 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 4.1 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.52 and they have given up 248 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .236 against the Pirates bullpen while walking 81 times and striking out 243 times. Pittsburgh is averaging 7.82 strikeouts per game while getting 8.19 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 2nd in baseball in team earned run average at 2.92.

As a team, Pittsburgh is batting .254, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .253 average away from home. The Pirates hold a .378 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .316 which is good for 14th in baseball. Andrew McCutchen leads the team in hits with 93 while the team ranks 9th in baseball with 8.79 hits per game.

With a 55-35 overall record, Kansas City will come into this game 30-16 at home. Yordano Ventura has a record of 4-6 while sporting an earned run average of 4.73 on the year with a 1.27 WHIP. He's pitched 72.1 innings thus far while surrendering 68 hits over that time in which the Royals are 5-8. The Royals are also 5-7 against the over/under in his starts. He is getting 3.8 runs from the team when he takes the mound. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.16 and they have given up 218 base hits on the year. Opposing teams are hitting .199 against the Royals bullpen while walking 102 times and striking out 273 times. Kansas City is averaging 6.83 strikeouts per game while getting 8.18 hits per nine innings as a team. They rank 7th in the league in team earned run average at 3.50.

As a team, they are batting .273, good for 2nd in the league while putting together a .282 average at home. The Royals hold a .408 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .324 which is good for 5th in baseball. Lorenzo Cain leads the team in hits with 98 while the team ranks 3rd in baseball with 9.34 hits a game.

Pittsburgh has a team fielding percentage of .982 after having committed 65 errors with 1091 assists and 2,495 put outs for the season. The Royals have committed 53 errors on the season with 885 assists and 2,376 put outs leading to a team fielding percentage of .984 on the year.

Pittsburgh Pirates Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 38-44 against the over/under so far this season

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 38-53 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 39-41 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 52-38 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Pittsburgh Pirates

07/19/15 CF Gorkys Hernandez Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/18)07/19/15 SS Jordy Mercer Knee injured last game, doubtful Monday vs. Kansas City Royals07/18/15 P Francisco Liriano Neck "?" for next scheduled start07/06/15 3B Josh Harrison Thumb Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (7/6)06/24/15 RF Corey Hart Shoulder Injury is on the 15 day disabled list (6/22)05/07/15 LF Andrew Lambo Plantar Fasciitis Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (5/4)04/06/15 P Brandon Cumpton Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)04/06/15 SS Justin Sellers Heel Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/27)

Kansas City Royals

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)04/04/15 P Kris Medlen Elbow Injury is on the 60 day disabled list (3/07)

Tony's Pick: Take the Royals

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