Friday, August 26, 2016

Fenway Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Ian Kennedy vs. Steven Wright

The Kansas City Royals head to Fenway Park on Friday to take on the Boston Red Sox. The probable pitchers are Ian Kennedy for the Royals and Steven Wright for the Red Sox. The opening line for this game has Kansas City at +137 and Boston at -147. The over/under is 9. The Royals have a 51-68-7 over/under mark and a 68-58-0 run line record, meaning they cover 54% of the time. The Red Sox are 63-63-0 against the run line and have a 62-59-5 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Royals head into this game with a 65-61 record, and they are 25-40 on the road. Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy has a 8-9 record with an ERA of 3.58 and a WHIP of 1.15. He has 145 strikeouts during his 148.1 innings pitched and he has given up 124 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.8. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 3.15 and they have allowed 358 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .233 against the pen while they've been struck out 393 times and walked 138 times this year. As a unit, Kansas City has given up 8.51 base hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 hitters per nine. They are 11th in the Majors in team earned run average at 4.01. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 1,055 base hits and 497 earned runs. They have allowed 162 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 385 batters and struck out 1,016. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.2 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.29 and their FIP as a unit is 4.38.

As a team, Kansas City is hitting .263, good for 7th in the league while putting together a .247 average on the road. The Royals have a .398 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .313 which is good for 22nd in the league. They rank 8th in baseball with 8.99 hits per contest. Alcides Escobar comes into this game hitting .261 and his on-base percentage is at .291. He has 133 hits this season along with 44 runs scored and 35 runs batted in. He's struck out 69 times and has walked 22 times. Eric Hosmer is hitting .275 and he has an on-base percentage of .333. He has totaled 132 hits so far while scoring 61 runs and he's driven in 73. He has walked 42 times and has struck out 100 times. The Royals have 1,131 hits, including 211 doubles and 108 home runs. They've stolen 76 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 25 times. Kansas City has walked 292 times this season and they've struck out 940 times as a unit. They've left 833 men on base and have a team OPS of .710. They score 3.94 runs per contest and have scored a total of 496 runs so far this year.

Boston comes into this game with a 38-27 home mark and a 71-55 overall record. With an ERA of 3.01, Steven Wright has a 13-5 record and a 1.19 WHIP. He has 123 strikeouts over the 146.2 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 124 hits. He has allowed 7.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 3.39. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.90 and they have given up 331 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .237 against the Red Sox bullpen while being struck out 394 times and walking 150 times this season. As a team, Boston has allowed 8.61 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.44 batters per nine. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.16. The Red Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,072 base knocks and 518 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 140 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Boston as a staff has walked 389 hitters and struck out 1,051. They give up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.30 while their FIP as a staff is 4.08.

As a team, they are batting .283, good for 1st in the league while putting together a .302 average at home. The Red Sox hold a .465 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .349 which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 1st in baseball with 9.97 hits per contest. Xander Bogaerts comes into this matchup batting .307 and he has an OBP of .364. He has 157 hits this year along with 89 runs scored and 71 RBI. He's struck out 91 times and has walked on 42 occasions. Mookie Betts is hitting .314 and he has an OBP of .355. He has collected 167 hits so far while he's scored 99 runs and drove in 90. He has earned a walk 35 times and has punched out 71 times. The Red Sox as a unit have 1,256 base hits, including 278 doubles and 161 homers. They have 71 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 16 times. Boston as a team has walked 427 times this year and they have struck out 903 times. They've had 910 men left on base and have an OPS of .815. They score 5.46 runs per game and have totaled 688 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 51-68-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 68-58-0 against the run line so far this season

Boston Red Sox Betting Trends

The Boston Red Sox are 62-59-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Boston Red Sox are 63-63-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

07/31/16 P Wade Davis Hip 15-day DL (7/30)
07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 15-day DL (7/25)
07/19/16 P Kris Medlen Shoulder 60-day DL (5/11)
05/26/16 3B Mike Moustakas Knee 60-day DL (5/23); out for season
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)

Boston Red Sox

08/25/16 LF Andrew Benintendi Leg expected to miss Thursday vs. Tampa Bay Rays
08/21/16 P Eduardo Rodriguez Hamstring "?" for next scheduled start
08/15/16 P Steven Wright Shoulder 15-day DL (8/8)
08/06/16 C Ryan Hanigan Ankle 15-day DL (8/5)
07/20/16 P Koji Uehara Pectoral 15-day DL (7/20)
06/17/16 2B Josh Rutledge Knee 60-day DL (6/15)
06/07/16 P Carson Smith Elbow 60-day DL (5/15)
06/06/16 C Blake Swihart Ankle 60-day DL (6/5)
05/03/16 3B Pablo Sandoval Shoulder 60-day DL (4/11); out for season
04/04/16 P Brandon Workman Elbow 60-day DL (3/25)

Guy's Pick: Take the Red Sox

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