Saturday, September 10, 2016

U.S. Cellular Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Edinson Volquez vs. James Shields

The Kansas City Royals visit U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday to play the Chicago White Sox. The probable starters are Edinson Volquez for the Royals and James Shields for the White Sox. The opening line for this matchup has Kansas City at -128 and Chicago at +118. The over/under was set at 9.5. The Royals have a 61-70-8 over/under record and a 76-63-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 55% of the time. The White Sox are 69-70-0 against the run line and have a 64-68-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 50% of the time.

The Royals head into this matchup with a 72-67 record, including 30-42 on the road. Starting pitcher Edinson Volquez has a 10-10 record with an earned run average of 5.02 and a WHIP of 1.47. He has 124 strikeouts over his 166.2 innings pitched and he has given up 186 hits so far this season. He has allowed 10 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.39. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.14 and they have given up 409 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .236 against the bullpen while being struck out 434 times and walking 152 times this season. As a team, Kansas City has allowed 8.74 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.11 batters per nine. They are 9th in the league in team earned run average at 4.03. The Royals pitchers have collectively given up 1,200 base hits and 553 earned runs. They have allowed 181 home runs this season and they allow 1.3 homers per nine innings as a staff. Kansas City as a pitching staff has walked 421 batters and struck out 1,113. They walk 3.1 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.40.

As a team, Kansas City is batting .263, good for 8th in the league while putting together a .251 average away from home. The Royals hold a .402 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .315 which is good for 23rd in baseball. They rank 8th in baseball with 9.01 hits per game. Alcides Escobar comes into this game hitting .267 and his on-base percentage is at .298. He has 150 hits this season along with 52 runs scored and 48 runs batted in. He's struck out 79 times and has walked 25 times. Eric Hosmer is hitting .275 and he has an on-base percentage of .338. He has totaled 145 hits so far while scoring 73 runs and he's driven in 88. He has walked 52 times and has struck out 114 times. The Royals have 1,252 hits, including 231 doubles and 127 home runs. They've stolen 99 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 30 times. Kansas City has walked 337 times this season and they've struck out 1,038 times as a unit. They've left 914 men on base and have a team OPS of .716. They score 4.16 runs per contest and have scored a total of 578 runs so far this year.

Chicago comes into this matchup with a 37-30 home record and a 67-72 overall mark. With an earned run average of 6.07, James Shields has a 5-17 record and a 1.64 WHIP. He has 105 strikeouts over the 151.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 181 hits. He has allowed 10.8 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 6.22. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.70 and they have given up 395 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the White Sox bullpen while being struck out 387 times and walking 203 times this season. As a team, Chicago has allowed 8.91 hits per nine innings while striking out 7.84 batters per nine. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.10. The White Sox pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,233 base knocks and 567 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 164 home runs this year and they give up 1.2 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Chicago as a staff has walked 461 hitters and struck out 1,085. They give up a walk 3.3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 7.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.36 while their FIP as a staff is 4.35.

As a team, they are batting .255, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .258 average at home. The White Sox hold a .405 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .317 which is good for 21st in baseball. They rank 17th in baseball with 8.76 hits per contest. Melky Cabrera comes into this matchup batting .296 and he has an OBP of .348. He has 148 hits this year along with 58 runs scored and 67 RBI. He's struck out 62 times and has walked on 42 occasions. Jose Abreu is hitting .298 and he has an OBP of .349. He has collected 161 hits so far while he's scored 57 runs and drove in 88. He has earned a walk 35 times and has punched out 109 times. The White Sox as a unit have 1,216 base hits, including 233 doubles and 143 homers. They have 65 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 31 times. Chicago as a team has walked 397 times this year and they have struck out 1,114 times. They've had 956 men left on base and have an OPS of .722. They score 4.17 runs per game and have totaled 579 runs so far this season.

Kansas City Royals Betting Trends

The Kansas City Royals are 61-70-8 against the over/under so far this season

The Kansas City Royals are 76-63-0 against the run line so far this season

Chicago White Sox Betting Trends

The Chicago White Sox are 64-68-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Chicago White Sox are 69-70-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Kansas City Royals

09/07/16 CF Lorenzo Cain Wrist "?" Friday vs Chicago White Sox
09/07/16 C Salvador Perez Wrist "?" Friday vs Chicago White Sox
08/31/16 P Chien-Ming Wang Bicep 15-day DL (8/31)
08/31/16 P Edinson Volquez Finger "?" for next scheduled start
07/29/16 P Luke Hochevar Shoulder 60-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); out for season
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)

Chicago White Sox

09/07/16 P James Shields Back expected to start Saturday vs. Kansas City Royals
08/03/16 CF Charlie Tilson Hamstring 15-day DL (8/3)
07/27/16 2B Brett Lawrie Hamstring 15-day DL (7/22)
07/01/16 3B Matt Davidson Foot 60-day DL (6/30)
06/21/16 P Zach Putnam Elbow 15-day DL (6/21)
06/10/16 CF Austin Jackson Knee 15-day DL (6/10)
05/06/16 P Jacob Petricka Hip 60-day DL (5/2)

Josh's Pick: Take the Royals

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