Monday, May 16, 2016

Kauffman Stadium

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Rick Porcello vs. Yordano Ventura

The Boston Red Sox visit Kauffman Stadium on Monday to play the Kansas City Royals. The probable starters are Rick Porcello for the Red Sox and Yordano Ventura for the Royals. The opening line for this matchup has Boston at -107 and Kansas City at -103. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Red Sox have a 21-15-1 over/under record and a 22-15-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 60% of the time. The Royals are 17-19-0 against the run line and have a 13-21-2 over/under record. They cover the spread 47% of the time.

The Red Sox head into this matchup with a 23-14 record, including 10-6 on the road. Starting pitcher Rick Porcello has a 6-1 record with an earned run average of 3.11 and a WHIP of 0.99. He has 46 strikeouts over his 46.1 innings pitched and he has given up 36 hits so far this season. He has allowed 7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.62. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.29 and they have given up 99 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .222 against the bullpen while being struck out 132 times and walking 54 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.27 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.16 batters per nine. They are 18th in the league in team earned run average at 4.19. The Red Sox pitchers have collectively given up 306 base hits and 155 earned runs. They have allowed 33 home runs this season and they allow 0.9 homers per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a pitching staff has walked 138 batters and struck out 339. They walk 3.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 3.75.

As a team, Boston is batting .297, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .281 average away from home. The Red Sox hold a .487 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .357 which is good for 2nd in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 10.59 hits per game. Xander Bogaerts comes into this game hitting .340 and his on-base percentage is at .389. He has 52 hits this season along with 30 runs scored and 19 runs batted in. He's struck out 28 times and has walked 12 times. Dustin Pedroia is hitting .301 and he has an on-base percentage of .348. He has totaled 46 hits so far while scoring 27 runs and he's driven in 20. He has walked 11 times and has struck out 26 times. The Red Sox have 392 hits, including 98 doubles and 44 home runs. They've stolen 27 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 2 times. Boston has walked 120 times this season and they've struck out 285 times as a unit. They've left 264 men on base and have a team OPS of .844. They score 5.92 runs per contest and have scored a total of 219 runs so far this year.

Kansas City comes into this matchup with a 10-6 home record and a 17-19 overall mark. With an earned run average of 4.62, Yordano Ventura has a 3-2 record and a 1.57 WHIP. He has 26 strikeouts over the 37 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 30 hits. He has allowed 7.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.43. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 2.85 and they have given up 105 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the Royals bullpen while being struck out 119 times and walking 40 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.42 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.02 batters per nine. They are 14th in the league in team earned run average at 4.04. The Royals pitchers as a team have surrendered 292 base knocks and 140 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 38 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a staff has walked 133 hitters and struck out 278. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.28.

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 11th in the league while putting together a .249 average at home. The Royals hold a .385 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which is good for 22nd in baseball. They rank 12th in baseball with 8.53 hits per contest. Eric Hosmer comes into this matchup batting .336 and he has an OBP of .395. He has 45 hits this year along with 19 runs scored and 16 RBI. He's struck out 25 times and has walked on 13 occasions. Alcides Escobar is hitting .248 and he has an OBP of .284. He has collected 38 hits so far while he's scored 11 runs and drove in 10. He has earned a walk 7 times and has punched out 22 times. The Royals as a unit have 307 base hits, including 54 doubles and 32 homers. They have 27 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 9 times. Kansas City as a team has walked 85 times this year and they have struck out 250 times. They've had 240 men left on base and have an OPS of .692. They score 3.53 runs per game and have totaled 127 runs so far this season.

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 21-15-1 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 22-15-0 against the run line so far this season

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 13-21-2 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 17-19-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Boston Red Sox

05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/19/16 P Joe Kelly Shoulder 15-day DL (4/19)
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)
04/04/16 P Eduardo Rodrigue Knee 15-day DL (4/2)

Kansas City Royals

05/12/16 P Chris Young Forearm 15-day DL (5/9)
05/12/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 15-day DL (5/10)
05/07/16 3B Mike Moustakas Hand 15-day DL (5/5)
04/10/16 P Mike Minor Shoulder 60-day DL (3/15)
04/04/16 P Tim Collins Elbow 60-day DL; out for season
03/31/16 P Jason Vargas Elbow 60-day DL (3/15)

Guy's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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